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FARTHEST    NORTH 

Being  the  Record  of  a  Voyage  of  Exploration 

of  the  Ship  ''Fratn'  iSgj-gd  and  of  a 

Fifteen  Months   Sleigh  fourney  by 

Dr.  Nansen  and  Lieut.  Johansen 


BY 


DR.  FRIDTJOF   NANSEN 

WITH   AN   APPENDIX 

BY    OTTO    SVERDKUP 
CAPTAIN    OF     THE     FRAif 

About  120  Full-page  and  Numerous  Text  Illustrations 
16  Colored  Plates  in  Facsimile  from  Dr.  Nansen's  Own 
Sketches,    Etched    Portrait,    Photogravures,    and  4.   Maps 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES 
Vol.  1. 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER    &     BROTHERS     PUBLISHERS 

1898 


.•'.••;•• 


1 '    I 

X  I        I    I    • 


r" 


I 


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Copyright,  1897,  by  Harikr  A  Hkothr 


-■///  rtiihtx  resei~l-ed. 


•      .••  .♦ 


225151' 


TO 

HER 

WHO  CHRISTENED  THE  SHIP 

AND 

HAD  THE  COURAGE  TO  REMAIN  BEHIND 


CONTENTS   OF   VOL.  I. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  Introduction i 

II.  Preparations  and  Equipment 54 

III.  The  Start 81 

IV.  Farewell  to  Norway. 104 

V.  Voyage  through  the  Kara  Sea 146 

VI.  The  Winter  Night 237 

VII.  The  Spring  and  Summer  of  1894 442 

VIII.  Second  Autumn  in  the  Ice 525 


r 


ILLUSTRATIONS    IN   VOL.  I. 


% 


FRIDTJOF  NANSEN Etched  Frontispiece   '""'' 

COLIN  ARCHER -g 

DESIGN   OF  THE   "  FRAM  " g, 

SIGURD   SCOTT-HANSEN gC 

ADOLF  JUELI g_ 

THE   "  FRAM  "   LEAVING   BERGEN 93 

OTTO   SVERDRUP ' 

FIRST   DRIFT-ICE   (JULY   28,   1 893) 107 

THE    NEW    CHURCH    AND    THE    OLD    CHURCH    AT    KHABA- 

^OVA ,,6 

PETER    HENRIKSEN „„ 

OUR   TRIAL  TRIP  WITH   THE    DOGS 127 

EVENING   SCENE  AT   KHABAROVA 131 

O.  CHRISTOFERSEN  AND  A.  TRONTHEIM 135 

LANDING   ON   VALMAL      .      : j  .g 

THE    PLAIN  OF   YALMAL 150 

IN   THE   KARA   SEA ,-2 

THE   "FRAM"   IN  THE   KARA   SEA 155 

OSTROVA   KAMENNI    (ROCKY    ISLAND),  OFF   THE    COAST   OF 

SIBERIA j-g 

THEODOR   C.  JACOBSEN,  MATE   OF  THE   "FRAM"    .      .      .      .    161 

HENKIK    BLESSING ,5- 

A   DEAD    BEAR   ON    REINDEER    ISLAND   (AUGUST   21,   1893)  .    172 
"WE    FIRST   TRIED   TO    DRAG   THE    BEARS " 173 

BERNARD    NORDAHL     ....  ,-- 

V/ 

IVAR    MOGSTAD   ....  jg. 


2 


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i  I, 


viii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FAQI 

BERNT   BENTZEN igj 

LARS    PETTERSEN 20S 

ANTON    AMUNDSEN 213 

CAPE   CHELYUSKIN,  THE   NORTHERNMOST   POINT   OF  THE 

OLD  WORLD 218 

ON    LAND    EAST    OF  CAPE    CHELYUSKIN    (SEPTEMBER    ID, 

1893) "...  219 

A     WARM    CORNER    AMONG    THE    WALRUSES,    OFF    EAST 

TAIMUR 223 

THE   ICE    INTO   WHICH    THE   "  FRAM "   WAS  FROZEN  (SEP- 
TEMBER 25,  1893) 234 

THE   SMITHY  ON   THE   "FRAM" 239 

THE   THERMOMETER   HOUSE 244 

MAGNETIC  OBSERVATIONS 247 

A   SMOKE   IN  THE   GALLEY   OF  THE   "  FRAM  " 250 

"THE      SALOON      WAS     CONVERTED     INTO     A     READING- 
ROOM  " 252 

SCOTT-HANSEN  AND  JOHANSEN   INSPECTING   THE   BAROM- 
ETERS    . Facing  p.  254 

DR.  BLESSING   IN   HIS  CABIN 257 

"I   LET   LOOSE   SOME   OF   THE   DOGS  " 263 

THE    MEN    WHO    WERE    AFRAID     OF    FRIG.'TTENING    THE 

BEAR.      "OFF   STEALS   BLESSING   ON   TIPTOE"    ...  267 

DOGS   CHAINED    ON   THE   ICE 272 

WE   LAY   IN   OPEN   WATER 275 

MY    FIRST   ATTEMPT   AT   DOG   DRIVING 289 

A    CHRONOMETER  -  OBSERV^ATION     WITH     THE     THEODO- 
LITE  Facing  p.  3 14 

A   LIVELY   GAME    OF  CARDS 318 

"  '  I  TOOK  THE  LANTERN  AND  (iAVE  HIM  SUCH  A  WHACK 

ON   THE   HEAD  WITH    IT  '  " 330 

A   NOCTURNAL  VISITANT 336 

SVERDRUP'S     BEAR -TRAP    (MOONLIGHT,    DECEMBER     20, 

1893) 339 


I 


ILLUSTRATIONS  ix 

HE  STARED,  HESITATING,  AT  THE  DELICIOUS  MORSEL".  341 
PROMENADE     IN     TIMES     OF     PEACE     WITH    SVERDRUP'S 

PATENT   FOOT-GEAR 345 

"FRAM"  FELLOWS  ON  THE  WAR-PATH:  DIFFERENCE 
BETWEEN  THE  SVERDRUP  AND  THE  LAPP  FOOT- 
GEAR   346 

"  FRAM  "   FELLOV    >   STILL  ON  THE   WAR-PATH       ....  347 
"  rr   WAS   STRAN  .E  ONCE   MORE  TO  SEE  THE  MOONLIGHT 

PLAYING  ON   THE   COAL-BLACK   WAVES" 351 

A   GAME   OF   HALMA 355 

FIRST  APPEARANCE   OF   THE   SUN 394 

I)L\C;RAMS   OF   ICE  WITH   LAYERS 401 

JOHAXSEN   READING  THE  ANEMOMETER 409 

TWO   FRIENDS   ....  .,0 

EXPERIMENT   IN   SLEDGE   SAILING 421 

AT  THE   COMING   OF  THE   SPRING  (MARCH,   1 894)      ...  425 

RETURNING   HOME   AFTER   SUNSET  (MARCH   31,    1894)  .     .  429 

OBSERVING   THE   ECLIPSE   OF  THE   SUN   (APRIL  6,    1 894)   .  433 

TAILPIECE .^. 

441 

TAKING   A   SOUNDING   OF   2058   FATHOMS 447 

HOME-SICKNESS    (JUNE    1 6,   1 894) 45 1 

SAILING   ON   THE    FRESH-WATER    POOL   (jULY    12,    1894)    .  454 

READING   TEMPERATURES   WITH    LENS    ....      Facing  p.  456 
PETER     HENraKSEN      IN     A     BROWN      STUDY       (JULY     6, 

•«9.  .'46, 

TAKING   W                     vfPERATURES 466 

SUMMER   i;Ut-,                      .      .  .f^ 

4'39 

RHODOS   TETHi  .          .      .  .-, 

473 

NANSEX   TAKES  A   WALK  (jULV   6,    1 894) 477 

OUR   KENNELS  (SEPTEMBER  2/,   1 894) 480 

THE   DOGS   BASKING    IN   THE   SUN   (JUNE    I3,   1894)  .      .      .  482 

THE    SEVENTEENTH-OF-MAY    PROCESSION,    1894    .      .      .      .  485 

THE   DRIFT-ICE    IN   SUMMER   (JULY   12,    1 894) 487 

A   SUMMER   SCENE   (jULY  21,    1 894) 493 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  STERN  OF  THE  "  FRAM."    JOHANSEN  AND  "  SULTAN  " 

(JUNE    l6,   1894) 499 

BLESSING   GOES   OFF   IN   SEARCH   OF   ALGvE 503 

A   SUMMER    EVENING  (JULY    14,   1 894) 505 

BLESSING   FISHING   FOR   ALG.4i; 507 

PRESSURE.  RIDGE     ON     THE     PORT      QUARTER      OF     THE 

"FRAM"  (JULY    1,1894) 509 

SKELETONS    OF   A    KAYAK    FOR  ONE    MAN  (BAMBOO)  AND 

OF  A   DOUBLE    KAYAK,  LYING   ON   A  HAND-SLEDGE    .  511 

A   SUMMER   EVENING  (jULY    I4,   1894) 519 

TAILPIECE 524 

PETTERSEN   AFTER   THE   EXPLOSION 529 

SNOW-SHOE   PRACTICE  (SEPTEMBER   28,    1 894) 542 

RETURN   FROM   A  SNO\V-SHOE  RUN  (SEPTEMBER   28,   1894)  544 

BLOCK  OF   ICE  (SEPTEMBER   28,   1 894) 546 

THE   WANING  DAY   (OCTOBER,  1894) 548 

A  SNOW-SHOE   EXCURSION   (OCTOBER,   1894) 553 

IN   LINE   FOR  THE    PHOTOGRAPHER 555 

DEEP-WATER  TEMPERATURE.      "UP  WITH  THE  THERMOM- 

ETER"   (JULY    12,   1894) 559 

ON   THE   AFTER-DECK  OF  THE    "FRAM"   (OCTOBER,    1 894).  563 

THE   RETURN   OF   SNOW-SHOERS Facing  p.  566 


MAPS  [In  Cover-pocket] 

PRELIMINARY  SKETCH-MAP    OF   FRANZ  JOSEF   LAND. 

PRELIMINARY   MAP   OF  THE    ROUTE   OF   THE   "  FRAM." 

MAP   SHOWING    THE    ROUTE    OF    THE  "  FRAM,"  AND    NANSEN'S 

AND  JOHANSEN's   SLEDGE   JOURNEY. 
PHYSICAL  CHART   OF    NORTH    POLAR    REGIONS. 


COLORED    PLATES    IN    VOL.  I. 


I.   WALRUSES  KILLED   OFF  THE  EAST  COAST   OF 
THE    TAIMUR     PENINSULA     (SEPTEMBER 

12,1893) 

II.   SLEEPY   AND   CROSS  (SEPTEMHEK    12,  1 893)       . 

III.  SUNSET    OFF    THE    NORTH    COAST     OF    ASIA, 

NORTH   OF    THE    MOUTH    OF  THE    CHA- 
TAN'-.A    (SEPTEMBER    12,  1 893)     .... 

IV.  OFF    THE    EDOE    OF    THE    ICE.— GATHEKINO 

STORM   (SEPTEMBER    I4,  1 893)      .... 
V.    EVENING  AMONG   THE   DRIFT-ICE  (SEPTEMBER 

22.  1893)  

VI.   AT  SUNSET  (SEPTEMBER   22,   1 893) 
VII.   THE  WANING  POLAR  DAY  (SEPTEMBER  22,  1 893) 
VIII.   MOONLIGHT  (NOVEMBER   22,   1 893) 


Facing'  /.  220 
"         228 


23: 


290 

324 
352 
576 


/• 


PUBLISHER'S   NOTE 


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i  <! 


The  Author  had  not  originally  contemplated  the  publication 
of  the  colored  sketches  which  are  produced  in  this  work.  He 
has  permitted  their  reproduction  because  they  may  be  useful 
as  showing  color  effects  in  the  Arctic ;  but  he  wishes  it  under- 
stood that  he  claims  no  artistic  merit  for  them. 

For  permission  to  reproduce  the  map  of  Franz  Josef  Land, 
in  Julius  Payer's  "  New  Lands  Within  the  Arctic  Circle,"  the 
publishers  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Messrs.  Macmillan 
and  Company. 


I 


FARTHEST    NORTH 


CHAPTER   I 


INTRODUCTION 


"  A  time  will  come  in  later  years  when  the  Ocean  will  unloose  the 
bands  of  things,  when  the  immeasurable  earth  will  lie  open,  when  sea- 
farers will  discover  new  countries,  and  Thule  will  no  longer  be  the  ex- 
treme point  among  the  lands."— Seneca. 

Unseen  and  untrodden  under  their  spotless  mantle  of 
ice  the  rigid  polar  regions  slept  the  profound  sleep  of 
death  from  the  earliest  dawn  of  time.     Wrapped  in  his 
white  shroud;  the   mighty  giant  stretched   his   clammy 
ice-limbs  abroad,  and  dreamed  his  age-long  dreams. 
Ages  passed— deep  was  the  silence. 
Then,  in  the  dawn  of  history,  far  away  in  the  south, 
the  awakening  spirit   of  man   reared   its  head  on   hio-h 
and  gazed  over  the  earth.     To  the  south  it  encountered 
warmth,  to  the  north,  cold ;  and  behind  the  boundaries 
of  the  unknown  it  placed  in  imagination  the  twin  king- 
doms of  consuming  heat  and  of  deadly  cold. 

But  the  limits  of  the  unknown  had  to  recede  step  by 
step  before  the  ever-increasing  yearning  after  light  and 


,1     I 

I 


t 
I  I 

r 

;1 


FARTHEST  NORTH 

knowledge  of  the  human  mind,  till  they  made  a  stand  in 
the  north  at  the  threshold  of  Nature's  great  Ice  Temple 
of  the  polar  regions  with  their  endless  silence. 

Up  to  this  point  no  insuperable  obstacles  had  op- 
posed the  progress  of  the  advancing  hosts,  which  con- 
fidently proceeded  on    their  way.      But  here  the  ram- 
parts of  ice  and  the  long  darkness  of  winter  brought 
them  to  bay.     Host  after  host  marched  on  towards  the 
north,  only  to  suffer  defeat.     Fresh   ranks   stood   ever 
ready  to  advance  over  the  bodies  of  their  predecessors 
Shrouded  in  fog  lay  the  mythic  land  of  Nivlheim,  where 
the  "  Rimturser"*  carried  on  their  wild  gambols. 

Why  did  we  continually  return  to  the  attack  ?     There 
in   the    darkness   and    cold    stood    Helheim,  where   the 
death -goddess  held   her  sway;   there  lay  Nastrand,  the 
shore  of  corpses.     Thither,  where  no  living  being  could 
draw   breath,   thither   troop    after   troop   made   its    way. 
To  what  end?     Was  it  to  bring  home  the  dead,  as  did 
Hermod   when    he   rode   after    Baldur.?      No!      It   was 
simply  to  satisfy  man's  thirst  for  knowledge.     Nowhere, 
in  truth,  has  knowledge  been  purchased  at  greater  cost 
of  privation  and  suffering.      But  the  spirit  of  mankind 
will  never  rest  till  every  spot  of  these  regions  has  been 
trodden  by  the  foot  of  man,  till  every  enigma  has  been 
solved.  . 

Minute  by  minute,  degree  by  degree,  we  have  stolen 

*  Frost-giants. 


( 


INTROD  UCTION 


forward,  with  painful  effort.  Slowly  the  day  has  ap- 
proached;  even  now  we  are  but  in  its  early  dawn; 
darkness  still  broods  over  vast  tracts  around  the  Pole. 

Our  ancestors,  the  old  Vikings,  were  the  first  Arctic 
voyagers.  It  has  been  said  that  their  expeditions  to  the 
frozen  sea  were  of  no  moment,  as  they  have  left  no  en- 
during marks  behind  them.  This,  however,  is  scarcely 
correct.  Just  as  surely  as  the  whalers  of  our  age,  in  their 
persistent  struggles  with  ice  and  sea,  form  our  outposts 
of  investigation  up  in  the  north,  so  were  the  old  North- 
men,  with  Eric  the  Red,  Leif,  and  others  at  their  head, 
the  pioneers  of  the  polar  expeditions  of  future  gener- 
ations. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  as  they  were  the  first 
ocean  navigators,  so  also  were  they  the  first  to  combat 
with  the  ice.  Long  before  other  seafaring  nations  had 
ever  ventured  to  do  more  than  hug  the  coast  lines,  our 
ancestors  had  traversed  the  open  seas  in  all  directions, 
had  discovered  Iceland  ai.i  Greenland,  and  had  colo- 
nized them.  At  a  later  period  they  discovered  America, 
and  did  not  shrink  from  making  a  straight  course  over 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  from  Greenland  to  Norway.  Many 
and  many  a  bout  must  they  have  had  with  the  ice  along 
the  coasts  of  Greenland  in  their  open  barks,  and  many 
a  life  must  have  been  lost. 

And  that  which  impelled  them  to  undertake  these 
expeditions  was  not  the  mere  love  of  adventure,  though 
that  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  essential  traits  of  our  national 


^  FARTHEST  NORTH 

Character.     It  was  rather  the  necessity  of  discovering  new 
countries  for  the  many  restless  beings  that  could  find  no 
room  in  Norway.     Furthermore,  they  were  stimulated  by 
a   real    interest  for  knowledge.     Othar,  who  about  890 
resided   in   England    at   Alfred's   Court,  set   out   on  an 
errand  of  geographical  investigation  ;  or,  as  he  says  him- 
self,  "  he  felt  an  inspiration  and  a  desire  to  learn,  to  know, 
and  to  demonstrate  how  far  the  land  stretched  towards 
the  north,  and   if  there  were  any  regions  inhabited  by 
man  northward  beyond  the  desert  waste."     He  lived  in 
the  northernmost  part  of  Helgeland,  probably  at  Bjarkoi 
and  sailed  round  the  North  Cape  and  eastward,  even  to 
the  White  Sea. 

Adam  of  Bremen   relates  of  Harald  Hard rade,  "  the 
experienced  king  of  the  Northmen,"  that  he  undertook  a 
voyage  out  into  the  sea  towards  the  north  and  "explored 
the  expanse  of  the  northern  ocean   with  his  ships,  but 
darkness  spread  over  the  verge  where  the  world  falls 
away,  and  he  put  about  barely  in  time  to  escape  beincr 
swallowed  in  the  vast  abyss."     This  was  Ginnungagap" 
the  abyss  at  the  world's  end.     How  far  he  went  no  one 
knows,  but  at  all  events  he  deserves  recognition  as  one 
of  the  first  of  the  polar  navigators  that  were  animated 
by  pure  love  of  knowledge.     Naturally,  these  Northmen 
were   not   free  from  the   superstitious    ideas  about  the 
polar  regions  prevalent  in  their  times.     There,  indeed, 
they  placed  their  Ginnungagap,  their  Nivlheim,  Helheim,' 
and  later  on  Trollebotn  ;    but  even  these  mythical  and 


INTR  on  UCTION 


5 


poetical  ideas  contained  so  large  a  kernel  of  observation 
that  our  fathers   may  be  said  to  have  possessed  a  re- 
markably clear  conception  of  the  true  nature  of  thino-s. 
How  soberly  and  correctly  they  observed  may  best  be 
seen    a   couple  of  hundred  years    later    in    Kongespeilet 
("  The  Mirror  of  Kings  "),  the  most  scientific  treatise  of 
our  ancient  literature,  where  it  is  said  that  "  as  soon  as 
one  has  traversed  the  greater  part  of  the  wild  sea,  one 
comes  upon  such  a  huge  quantity  of  ice  that  nowhere  in 
the  whole  world  has  the  like  been  known.     Some  of  the 
ice  is  so  flat  that  it  looks  as  if  it  were  frozen  on  the  sea 
itself;    it  is  from  8  to  lo  feet  thick,  and  extends  so  far 
out  into   the  sea  that  it  would  take  a  journey  of  four 
or  more  days  to  reach  the  land  over  it.      But  this  ice 
lies   more  to  the   northeast  or  north,  beyond  the  limits 
of    the    land,    than    to    the    south    and    southwest    or 
west.  .  .  . 

"  This  ice  is  of  a  wonderful  nature.  It  lies  at  times 
quite  still,  as  one  would  expect,  with  openings  or  large 
fjords  in  it;  but  sometimes  its  movement  is  so  strono- 
and  rapid  as  to  equal  that  of  a  ship  running  before 
the  wind,  and  it  drifts  against  the  wind  as  often  as 
with  it." 

This  is  a  conception  all  the  more  remarkable  when 
viewed  in  the  light  of  the  crude  ideas  entertained  by 
the  rest  of  the  world  at  that  period  with  regard  to 
foreign  climes. 

The  strength  of  our  people  now  dwindled  away,  and 


;. 


,    ■    I 

;      f    1 

I! 


FARTHEST  NORTH 

centuries  elapsed  before  explorers  once  more  sou-ht  the 
northern  seas.     Then    it   was  other   nations,  especially 
the    Dutch    and    the    English,   that   led    the  van.     The 
sober  observations    of  the   old   Northmen  were   forgot- 
ten,    and    in    their    stead    we    meet    with    repeated    in- 
stances of  the  attraction  of  mankind  towards  the  most 
fantastic  ideas;  a  tendency  of  thought  that  founc'     -   V 
scope   in   the    regions   of   the  north.      When  tht       .a 
proved  not  to  be  absolutely  deadly,  theories  flew  to  the 
opposite  extreme,  and   marvellous   were   the   erroneous 
ideas    that   sprang  up  and    have  held  their  own  down 
to  the  present  day.     Over  and  over  again  ,t  has  been 
the  same-the  most  natural  explanation  of  phenomena 
IS  the  very  one  that  men  have  most  shunned;    and   if 
no    middle  course  was  to  be  found,  they  have  rushed 
to  the  wildest  hypothesis.     It  is  only  thus  that  the  be- 
lief in  an   open  polar  sea  could   have  arisen  and  held 
Its  ground.     Though  everywhere  ice  was  met  with,  peo- 
ple maintained  that  this  open  sea  must  lie  behind  the 
ice.     Thus  the  belief  in  an  ice-free  northeast  and  north- 
west passage  to  the  wealth  of  Cathay  or  of  India,  fir.t 
propounded    towards    the    close    of    the    15th    century 
cropped  up  again  and  again,  only  to  be  again  and  again 
refuted.     Since  the  ice  barred  the  southern  regions,  the 
way  must  lie  farther  north ;  and  finally  a  passage  over 
the  Pole  itself  was  sought  for.     Wild  as  these  theories 
were,  they  have  worked  for  the  benefit  of  mankind;  for 
by  their  means  our  knowledge   of  the   earth   has  been 


ii 


i'^i*: 


INTRODUCTION  7 

widely  extended.  Hence  we  may  see  that  no  work  done 
in  the  service  of  investigation  is  ever  lost,  not  even  when 
carried  out  under  false  assumptions.  England  has  to 
thank  these  chimeras  in  no  small  degree  for  the  fact  that 
she  has  become  the  mightiest  seafaring  nation  of  the 
world. 

By  many  paths  and  by  many  means  mankind  has 
endeavored  to  penetrate  this  kingdom  of  death.  At 
first  the  attempt  was  made  exclusively  by  sea.  Ships 
were  then  ill  adapted  to  combat  the  ice,  and  people  were 
loath  to  make  the  venture.  The  clinker-built  pine  and 
fir  barks  of  the  old  Northmen  were  no  better  fitted  for 
the  purpose  than  were  the  small  clumsy  carvels  of  the 
first  English  and  Dutch  Arctic  explorers.  Little  by 
little  they  learnt  to  adapt  their  vessels  to  the  conditions, 
and  with  ever- increasing  daring  they  forced  them  in 
among  the  dreaded  floes. 

But   the    uncivilized    polar    tribes,    both    those    that 
inhabit  the  Siberian  tundras  and  the  Eskimo  of  North 
America,  had   discovered,  long  before  polar   expeditions 
had  begun,  another  and  a  safer  means  of  traversing  these 
regions— to  wit,  the  sledge,  usually  drawn  by  dogs.     It 
was  in  Siberia  that  this  excellent  method  of  locomotion 
was    first   applied    to   the   service    of  polar  exploration. 
Already  in   the    17th  and    i8th  centuries  the  Russians 
undertook  very  extensive   sledge  journeys,  and  charted 
the  whole    of  the  Siberian    coast  from    the   borders   of 
Europe  to    Bering   Strait.     And  they  did    not   merely 


«ii 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


II     «■ 


travel  along  the  coasts,  but  crossed  the  drift-ice  itself  to 
the  New  Siberian  Islands,  and  even  north  of  them. 
Nowhere,  perhaps,  have  travellers  gone  through  so  many 
sufferings,  or  evinced  so  much  endurance. 

In  America,  too,  the  sledge  was  employed  by  English- 
men  at  an  early  date  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
shores  of  the  Arctic  seas.     Sometimes  the  toboggan  or 
Indian  sledge  was  used,  sometimes  that  of  the  Eskimo. 
It  was    under    the  able   leadership   of    M'Clintock  that 
sledge    journeys    attained    their    highest    development. 
While  the  Russians  had  generally  travelled  with  a  large 
number    of   dogs,  and    only    a    few    men,    the    English 
employed    many  more    men    on    their    expeditions, "and 
their  sledges  were  entirely,  or  for  the  most  part,  drawn 
by  the  explorers  themselves.     Thus   in   the   most  ener- 
getic attempt  ever  made  to  reach  high  latitudes,  Albert 
Markham's  memorable   march   towards  the   north  from 
the  AlerLs    winter  quarters,  there   were    i2>    men    who 
had  to  draw  the  sledges,   though  there  were  plenty  of 
dogs  on  board   the    ship.     It  would  appear,  indeed,  as 
if    dogs    were    not    held    in    great    estimation    by    the 
English. 

The  American  traveller  Peary  has,  however,  adopted 
a  totally  different  method  of  travelling  on  the  inland  ice 
of  Greenland,  employing  as  few  men  and  as  many  dogs 
as  possible.  The  great  importance  of  dogs  for  sledge 
journeys  was  clear  to  me  before  I  undertook  my  Green- 
land expedition,  and  the  reason  I  did  not  use  them  then 


\u 


isSSi 


■^•i:.:..:- 


INTRODUCTION 


9 


ice 


i 


was  simply  that  I  was  unable  to  procure  any  serviceable 
animals.* 

A   third  method   may  yet   be   mentioned  which   has 
been  employed  in  the  Arctic  regions-namely.  boats  and 
sledges  combined.     It  is  said  of  the  old   Northmen  in 
the  Sagas  and  in  the  Kongespeilet,  that  for  days  on  end 
they  had  to  drag  their  boats  over  the  ice  in  the  Green, 
land  sea,  in  order  to   reach  land.     The  first  in  modern 
times  to  make  use  of  this  means  of  travelling  was  Parry, 
who,  in  his  memorable  attempt  to  reach  the  Pole  in  1827' 
abandoned  his  ship  and  made  his  way  over  the  drift-ice 
northward   with    boats,  which    he    dragged    on    sledges. 
He  succeeded  in  attaining  the  highest  latitude  (82°  45') 
that  had  yet  been  reached;  but  here  the  current  carried 
him  to  the  south   more  quickly  than   he  could  advance 
against  it,  and  he  was  obliged  to  turn  back. 

Of  later  years  this  method  of  travelling  has  not  been 
greatly  employed  in  approaching  the  Pole.  It  may 
however,  be  mentioned  that  Markham  took  boats  with 
him  also  on  his  sledge  expedition.  Many  expeditions 
have  through  sheer  necessity  accomplished  long  distances 
over  the  drift-ice  in  this  way,  in  order  to  reach  home 
after  having  abandoned  or  lost  their  ship.  Especial 
mention  may  be  made  of  the  Austro-Hungarian  Tegethoff 
expedition  to  Franz  Josef  Land,  and  the  ill-fated  Amer- 
ican Jeannette  expedition. 


■  First  Crossing  of  Greenland,  Vol.  I.,  p.  30. 


10 


FARTIIEST  NORTH 


Ji 


,     I 


It  i>cems  that  but  few  have  thought  of  following  the 
example  of  the  Eskimo-living  as  they  do,  and,  instead 
of  heavy  boats,  taking  light  kayaks  drawn  by  dogs.  At 
all  events,  no  attempts  have  been  made  in  this  direction. 
The  methods  of  advance  have  been  tested  on  four 
main  routes:  the  Smith  Sound  route,  the  sea  route 
between  Greenknd  and  Spitzbergen,  Franz  Josef  Land 
route,  and  the  Bering  Strait  route. 

In    later  times,  the  point  from    which   the   Pole  has 
been  most  frequently  assailed  is  Smith  Sound,  probably 
because  American  explorers  had  somewhat  too  hastily 
asserted  that  they  had  there   descried   the  open    Polar 
Sea,  extending   indefinitely  towards    the   north.     Every 
expedition  was  stopped,  however,  by  immense  masses  of 
ice,  which    came    drifting   southward,  and    piled    them- 
selves  up  against  the  coasts.     The  most  important  expe- 
dition by  this  route  was  the  English  one  conducted  by 
Nares  in   1875-76,  the  equipment  of  which   involved  a 
vast  expenditure.     Markham,  the   next  in   command  to 
Nares,  reached   the   highest  latitude   till    then   attained, 
^Z^  20',  but  at  the  cost  of  enormous  exertion  and  loss ;' 
and  Nares  was  of  opinion  that  the  impossibility  of  reach^ 
ing  the  Pole   by  this  route  was  fully  demonstrated  for 
all  future  ages. 

During  the  stay  of  the  Greely  expedition  (from  1881 
to  1884)  in  this  same  region,  Lockwood  attained  a 
some^vhat  higher  record,  viz.,  ^^^  24',  the  most  north- 
erly  point   on  the   globe  that  human   feet  had  trodden 


INTR  OD  UCriON 


II 


previous  to  the  expedition   of  which  the  present  work 
treats. 

By  way  of  the  sea  between  Greenland  and  Spitzber- 
gen,  several  attempts  have  been  made  to  penetrate  the 
secrets  of  the  domain   of  ice.     In   1607  Henry  Hudson 
endeavored   to  reach   the    Pole  along  the  east  -^oast  of 
Greenland,  where  he  was   in   hopes  of  finding  an  open 
basin  and  a  waterway  to  the  Pacific.     His  progress  was, 
however,  stayed  at  n"  north  lati;;ude,  at  a  point  of  the' 
coast  which   he   named  "  Hold  with    Hope."     The  Ger- 
man  expedition   under   Koldeway  (1869-70),  which    vis- 
ited the  same  waters,  reached  by  the  aid  of  sledges  as 
far  north  as  ^f  north  latitude.     Owing  to  the  enormous 
masses  of  ice  which  the  polar  current  sweeps  southward 
along  this  coast,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  unfavor- 
able routes  for  a  polar  expedition.    A  better  route  is  that 
by  Spitzbergen,  which  was  essayed  by  Hudson,  when  his 
progress  was  blocked  off  Greenland.     Here  he  reached 
80°  21'   north   latitude.      Thanks  to  the  warm   current 
that  runs  by  the  west  coast  of  Spitzbergen  in  a   north- 
erly direction,  the  sea  is   kept  free  from  ice,  and  it   is 
without  comparison  the  route  by  which  one  can  the  most 
safely  and  easily  reach  high  latitudes  in  ice-free  waters. 
It  was  north  of  Spitzbergen  that  Edward  Parry  made  his 
attempt  in  1827,  above  alluded  to. 

Farther  eastward  the  ice -conditions  are  less  favor- 
able, and  therefore  few  polar  expeditions  have  directed 
then-  course  through  these  regions.     The  original  object 


13 


FARTHEST  iWOKTIl 


J 


of  the  Austro.  Hungarian  expedition  under  VVcyprccht 
and    Payer  (1872-74)   was   to   seeic   for   the    Northeast 
Passage;    but   at   its  first   meeting  with   the  ice  it   was 
set  fast  off  the  north  point  of    Novaya   Zemlya,  drifted 
northward,  and   discovered    Franz    Josef    Land,  whence 
Payer  endeavored   to    push   forward   to   the   north   with 
sledges,  reaching    82°   5'   north    latitude    on    an    ishuid, 
which  he  named  Crown- Prince  Rudolf's  Land.     To  the 
north    of  this    he    thouglit    he    tould    see   an    extensive 
tract  of  land,  lying  in  about  83°  north  latitude,  which  he 
called  Petermann  s  Land.     Franz  Josef  Land  was  after- 
wards  twice  visited  by  the  English  traveller  Leigh  Smith 
in   1880  and   1881-82;  and  it  is  here  that  the  English 
Jackson-Harmsworth  expedition  is  at  present  established. 
The  plan  of  the  Danish  expedition  under  Hovgaard 
was   to   push   forward    to   the    North    Pole    from    Cape 
Chelyuskin   along  the  east  coast  of  an   extensive  tract 
of  land  which  Hovgaard  thought  must  lie  to  the  east 
of  Franz  Josef  Land.     He  got  set  fast  in  the  ice,  how- 
ever, in   the   Kara  Sea,  and   remained  the  winter  there, 
returning  home  the  following  year. 

Only  a  few  attempts  have  been  made  through  Bering 
Strait.  The  first  was  Cook's,  in  1776;  the  last  the 
Jeannetie  expedition  (1879-81),  under  De  Long,  a 
lieutenant  in  the  American  navy.  Scarcely  anywhere 
have  polar  travellers  been  so  hopelessly  blocked  by  ice  in 
comparatively  low  latitudes.  The  last-named  expedition, 
however,  had  a  most  important  bearing  upon  my  own. 


INTRODUCTION 


'3 


As    De   Long  hiiii.sclf  says    in   a   letter    to  James   Gor- 
don  Bennett,  who  sui^pliecl  the  funds  for  the  expedition, 
he  was  of  opinion  that  there  were  three  routes  to  choose 
from— Smith    Sound,  the    east   coast    of    Greenland,  or 
Bering  Strait;    but   he  put  most  faith   in   the   hist,  and 
this  was  ultimately  selected.     His  main  reason  for  this 
choice  was    his    belief    in   a   Jajjanese    current    running 
north    through    Bering    Strait    and    onward    along    the 
east   coast   of    Wrangel    Land,    which    was    believed    to 
extend  far  to  the  north.     It  was  urged  that  the  warm 
water  of  this    current    would    open    a    way   along    that 
coast,    possibly    up    to    the     Pole.     The    experience    of 
whalers  showed   that  whenever  their   vessels    were    set 
fast  in  the  ice  here  they   drifted  northwards;    hence  it 
was  concluded    that    the    current    generally  set  in  that 
direction.     "This   will    help   explorers,"  says   De  Long, 
"to    reach   high   latitudes,  but    at    the    same    time  will 
make  it  more  difificult   for  them  to  come  back."     The 
truth  of  these  words  he  himself  was  to  learn  by  bitter 
experience. 

The /m//wr//t' stuck  fast  in  the  ice  on  September  6th, 
1879,  in  71 '  35'  north  latitude  and  175°  6'  east  longitude, 
southeast  of  Wrangel  Land  — which,  however,  proved 
to  be  a  small  island— and  drifted  with  the  ice  in  a  west- 
northwesterly  direction  for  two  years,  when  it  foundered, 
June  1 2th,  1 88 1,  north  of  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  in 
T]"  15'  north  latitude  and  154^  59'  east  longitude. 

Everywhere,  then,  has  the  ice  stopped  the  progress  of 


14 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\ 


i    \ 


ill 


I  I 


mankind  towards  the  north.  In  two  cases  only  have  ice- 
bound vessels  drifted  in  a  northerly  direction -in  the 
case  of  the  Tegethoff  and  the  Jeannette—^\{x\^  most  of 
the  others  have  been  carried  away  from  their  goal  by 
masses  of  ice  drifting  southward. 

On  reading  the  history  of  Arctic  explorations,  it  early 
occurred  to  me  that  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  wrest 
the  secrets  from  these  unknown  regions  of  ice  by  adopt- 
ing the  routes  and  the  methods  hitherto  employed.  But 
where  did  the  proper  route  lie.? 

It   was  in  the  autumn  of  1884  that   I  happened  to 
see   an    article  by  Professor    Mohn    in    the  Norwegian 
Moygenblad,  in  which  it  was  stated  that  sundry  arti-^cles 
which    must   have    come   from    the  Jeaunctte   had  been 
found    on     the     southwest    coast    of    Greenland.      He 
conjectured  that  they  must  have  drifted  on  a  floe  ricrht 
across  the   Polar  Sea.     It  immediately  occurred  to  me 
that  here  lay  the  route  ready  to  hand.     If  a  floe  could 
drift  right  across  the  unknown  region,  that  drift  might 
also  be  enlisted  in  the  service  of  exploration-and  my 
plan  was  laid.     Some  years,  however,  elapsed  before,  in 
February,    1890,  after   my    return    from    my    Greenland 
expedition,  I  at  last  propounded  the  idea  in  an  address 
before  the  Christiania   Geographical   Society.      As  this 
address  plays   an   important  part   in   the  history  of  the 
expedition,  I    shall    reproduce    its    principal   features,  as 
printed  in  the  March  number  of  Naturcn,  1891. 

After   giving   a    brief   sketch    of  the   different  polar 


I  1 


I      ^*«»w™ 


INTRODUCTION 


15 


I  1 


expeditions  of  former  years,  I  go  on  to  say:  "The 
results  of  these  numerous  attempts,  as  I  have  pointed 
out,  seem  somewhat  discouraging.  They  appear  to 
show  plainly  enough  that  it  is  impossible  to  sail  to  the 
Pole  by  any  route  whatever ;  for  everywhere  the  ice  has 
proved  an  impenetrable  barrier,  and  has  stayed  the 
progress  of  invaders  on  the  threshold  of  the  unknown 
regions. 

"  To  drag  boats  over  the  uneven  drift-ice,  which  more- 
over is  constantly  moving  under  the  influence  of  the  cur- 
rent and  wind,  is  an  equally  great  difficulty.  The  ice 
lays  such  obstacles  in  the  way  that  any  one  who  has  ever 
attempted  to  traverse  it  will  not  hesitate  to  declare  it 
well-nigh  impossible  to  advance  in  this  manner  with 
the  equipment  and  provisions  requisite  for  such  an 
undertakins:." 

Had  we  been  able  to  advance  over  land,  I  said,  that 
would  have  been  the  most  certain  route ;  in  that  case 
the  Pole  could  have  been  reached  "  in  one  summer  by 
Norwegian  snow-shoe  runners."  But  there  is  every 
reason  to  doubt  the  existence  of  any  such  land.  Green- 
land, I  considered,  did  not  extend  farther  than  the  most 
northerly  known  point  of  its  west  coast.  "It  is  not 
probable  that  Franz  Josef  Land  reaches  to  the  Pole; 
from  all  we  can  learn  it  forms  a  group  of  islands  separated 
from  each  other  by  deep  sounds,  and  it  appears  im- 
probable that  any  large  continuous  track  of  land  is  to  be 
found  there. 


i6 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


% 


i     I 


"  Some  people  are  perhaps  of  opinion  that  one  ought 
to  defer  the  examination  of  regions  Hke  those  around  the 
Pole,  beset,  as    they    are,  with    so    many  difficulties,  till 
new  means  of  transport  have  been  discovered.      I  have 
heard  it  intimated  that  one  fine  day  we  shall  be  able  to 
reach  the  Pole  by  a  balloon,  and  that  it  is  only  waste  of 
time  to  seek  to  get  there  before  that  day  comes.     It  need 
scarcely  be  shown  that  this  line  of  reasoning  is  untenable. 
Even   if  one   could   really  suppose   that  in  the  near  or 
distant  future  this  frequently  mooted  idea  of  travelling  to 
the  Pole  in  an  air-ship  would  be  realized,  such  an  expe- 
dition, however  interesting  it  might  be  in  certain  respects, 
would  be  far  from  yielding  the  scientific  results  of  expe- 
ditions carried  out  in  the  manner  here  indicated.     Scien- 
tific results  of  importance  in   all   branches   of   research 
can  be    attained   only  by  persistent  observations  during 
a   lengthened  sojourn   in  these    regions,  while  those   o'f 
a    balloon    expedition    cannot    but    be    of    a    transitory 
nature. 

"  We  must,  then,  endeavor  to  ascertain   if   there   are 
not  other  routes— and   I  believe   there  are.       I   believe 
that  if  we  pay  attention  to  the  actually  existent  forces  of 
nature,  and  seek  to  work  with  and  not  against  them,  we 
shall  thus  find  the  safest  and  easiest  method  of  reach- 
ing the  Pole.     It  is  useless,  as  previous  expeditions  have 
done,  to  work  against  the  current;  we  should  see  if  there 
is  not  a  current  we  can  work  zoith.     The  Jcannette  expe- 
dition is  the  only  one,  in  my  opinion,  that  started  on  the 


INTR  OD  UCTION 


17 


rier 


lit  track,  though  it  may  have  bet 


:n  unwittingly  and  un- 


willingly. 

"  The  Jeannette  drifted  for  two  years  in  the  ice,  from 
Wrangel    Land   to  the   New  Siberian    Islands.      Three 
years  after  she  foundered  to  the  north  of  these  islands 
there  was  found  frozen  into  the  drift-ice,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Julianehaab,  on  the  southwest  coast  of  Green- 
land, a  number  of  articles  which  appeared,  from  sundry 
indubitable   marks,  to  proceed  from   the  sunken   vessel. 
These    articles   were    f^rst    discovered    by   the    Eskimo, 
and  were    afterwards   collected  by  Mr.  Lytzen,  Colonial 
Manager  at  Julianehaab,  who  has  given  a  list  of  them 
in  the  Danish  Geographical  Journal  for  1885.     Among 
them  the  following  may  especially  be  mentioned: 

"  I.  A  list  of  provisions,  signed  by  De  Long,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Jeannette. 

"  2.  A  MS.  list  of  the  Jeannette  s  boats. 

"  3-  A  pair  of  oilskin  breeches  marked  '  Louis  Noros,' 
the  name  of  one  of  the  Jeannette  s  crew,  who 
was  saved. 

"  4-  The  peak  of  a  cap  on  which,  according  to  Lytzen  s 
statement,  was  written  F.  C.  Lindemann.  The 
name  of  one  of  the  crew  of  the  Jeannette,  who 
was  also  saved,  was  F.  C.  Nindemann.  This 
may  either  have  been  a  clerical  error  on  Lyt- 
zen's  part  or  a  misprint  in  the  Danish  jour- 
nal. 


i8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


i 


Ml 


"  In  America,  when  it  was  reported  that  these  articles 
had  been  found,  people  were  very  sceptical,  and  doubts  of 
their  genuineness  were  expressed  in  the  American  news- 
papers.  The  facts,  however,  can  scarcely  be  sheer  in- 
ventions;  and  it  may  therefore  be  safely  assumed  that 
an  ice-floe  bearing  these  articles  from  the  Jeannette  had 
drifted  from  the  place  where  it  sank  to  Julianehaab. 

"  By  what  route  did  this  ice-floe  reach  the  wost  coast 
of  Greenland  ? 

"  Professor  Mohn,  in  a  lecture  before  the  Scientific 
Society  of  Christiania,  in  November,  1894,  showed  that  it 
could  have  come  by  no  other  way  than  across  the  Pole.* 

"  It  cannot  possibly  have  come  through  Smith  Sound, 
as  the  current  there  passes  along  the  western  side  of 
Bafifin's  Bay,  and  it  would  thus  have  been  conveyed  to 
Baffin's  Land  or  Labrador,  and  not  to  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland.  The  current  flows  along  this  coast  in  a 
northerly  direction,  and  is  a  continuation  of  the  Green- 
land polar  current,  which  comes  along  the  east  coast  of 

*  ^';- ^>:^=^^"' °f  Julianehaab.  afterwards  contributed  an  article  to  the 
Gcografisk  Tjds.kr^Jt  (8th  Vol..  .885-86.  pp.  49-5,.  Copenhagen),  in  which 
he  expressed  h.mself.  so  far  at  least  as  I  understand  him.  in  the  same  sense 
and  remarkably  enough,  suggested  that  this  circumstance  might  possibly 
be  found  to  have  an  important  bearing  on  Arctic  exploration.  He  savs  • 
"  It  will  therefore  be  seen  that  polar  explorers  who  seek  to  advance  tow- 
ards the  Pole  from  the  Siberian  Sea  will  probably  at  one  place  or  another 
be  hemmed  m  by  the  ice.  but  these  masses  of  ice  will  be  carried  by  the 
current  along  the  Greenland  coa.st.  It  is  not.  therefore,  altogether  impos- 
sible that.  >f  the  ship  of  such  an  expedition  is  able  to  survive  the  pressure 
of  the  masses  of  ice  for  any  length  of  time,  it  wHl  arrive  safely  at  South 
Greenland  ;  but  in  that  case  it  must  be  prepared  to  spend  several  years 
on  the  way."  ' 


IM 


JNTRODUCriON 


19 


Greenland,  takes  a  bend  round  Cape  Farewell,  and  passes 
upward  along  the  west  coast. 

"  It  is  by  this  current  only  that  the  floe  could  have 
come. 

"  But  the  question  now  arises :  What  route  did  it  take 
from  the  New  Siberian  Islands  in  order  to  reach  the  east 
coast  of  Greenland  } 

"  It  is  conceivable  that  it  might  have  drifted  along  the 
north  coast  of  Siberia,  south  of  Franz  Josef  Land,  up 
through  the  sound  between  Franz  Josef  Land  and 
Spitzbergen,  or  even  to  the  south  of  Spitzbergen,  and 
might  after  that  have  got  into  the  polar  current  which 
flows  along  Greenland.  If,  however,  we  study  the  di- 
rections of  the  currents  in  these  regions  so  far  as  they 
are  at  present  ascertained,  it  will  be  found  that  this  is 
extremely  improbable,  not  to  say  impossible." 

Having  shown  that  this  is  evident  from  the  Tegcthoff 
drift  and  from  many  other  circumstances,  I  proceeded  : 

"  The  distance  from  the  New  Siberian  Islands  to  the 
80th  degree  of  latitude  on  the  east  coast  of  Greenland 
is  1360  miles,  and  the  distance  from  the  last-named  place 
to  Julianehaab  1540  miles,  making  together  a  distance 
of  2900  miles.  This  distance  was  traversed  by  the  floe 
in  1 100  days,  which  gives  a  speed  of  2.6  miles  per 
day  of  24  hours.  The  time  during  which  the  relics 
drifted  after  having  reached  the  80th  degree  of  latitude, 
till  they  arrived  at  Julianehaab,  can  be  calculated  with 
tolerable   precision,  as   the   speed  of   the   above-named 


20 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


i 


^ 


current  along  the  east  coast  of  Greenland  is  well  known. 
It  may  be  assumed  that  it  took  at  least  400  days  to 
accomplish    this    distance;    there    remain,    then,    about 
700  days  as  the  longest   time  the  drifting  articles  can 
have  taken  from  the  New  Siberian  Islands  to  the  80th 
degree    of    latitude.     Supposing    that    they    took    the 
shortest  route-/,  e.,  across  the   Pole-this  computation 
gives  a  speed   of  about   2   miles   in  24  hours.     On  the 
other  hand,  supposing  they  went  by  the  route  south  of 
Franz  Josef  Land,  and  south  of  Spitzbergen,  they  must 
have  drifted  at  much  higher  speed.     Two  miles  in  the 
24  hours,  however,  coincides  most  remarkably  with  the 
rate  at  which  the  >««;/^//^  drifted  during  the  last  months 
of  her  voyage,  from  January   i    to   June    12,    188 1.     In 
this  time  she  drifted  at  an  average  rate  of  a  little  over 
2  miles  in  the  24  hours.     If,  however,  the  average  speed 
of  the  whole  of  the  Jcannettes  drifting  be  taken,  it  will 
be  found  to  be  only  i  mile  in  the  24  hours. 

"  But  are  there  no  other  evidences  of  a  current  flowing 
across  the  North  Pole  from   Bering  Sea  on  the  one  side 
to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  other.? 
"  Yes,  there  are. 

"  Dr.  Rink  received  from  a  Greenlander  at  Godthaab 
a  remarkable  piece  of  wood  which  had  been  found  among 
the  drift-timber  on  the  coast.  It  is  one  of  the  '  throwing 
sticks 'which  the  Eskimo  use  in  hurling  their  bird-dart^ 
but  altogether  unlike  those  used  by  the  Eskimo  on  the 
west  coast  of  Greenland.     Dr.  Rink  conjectured  that  it 


INTR  OD  UCTION 


21 


possibly  proceeded  from  the  Eskimo  on  the  east  coast 
of  Greenland. 

"  From  later  inquiries,*  however,  it  appeared  that  it 
must  have  come  from  the  coast  of  Alaska  in  the  neigh- 
borhood  of  Bering  Strait,  as  that  is  the  only  place 
where  '  throwing  sticks '  of  a  similar  form  are  used.  It 
was  even  ornamented  with  Chinese  glass  beads,  exactly 
similar  to  those  which  the  Alaskan  Eskimo  obtain  by 
barter  from  Asiatic  tribes,  and  use  for  the  decoration 
of  their  '  throwing  sticks.' 

"  We  may,  therefore,  with  confidence  assert  that  this 
piece  of  wood  was  carried  from  the  west  coast  of  Alaska 
over  to  Greenland  by  a  current  the  whole  course  of 
which  we  do  not  know,  but  which  may  be  assumed  to 
flow  very  near  the  North  Pole,  or  at  some  place  between 
it  and  Franz  Josef  Land. 

"  There  are,  moreover,  still  further  proofs  that  such  a 
current  exists.  As  is  well  known,  no  trees  grow  in 
Greenland  that  can  be  used  for  making  boats,  sledges, 
or  other  appliances.  The  driftwood  that  is  carHed 
down  by  the  polar  current  along  the  east  coast  of  Green- 
land and  up  the  west  coast  is,  therefore,  essential  to  the 
existence  of  the  Greenland  Eskimo.  But  whence  does 
this  timber  come.'* 

"  Here  our  inquiries  again  carry  us  to  lands  on  the 


*See  on  this  point  DrY.  Nielsen,  in  For,uunm„ser  i  VUenskabsseL 
^kabet  t  Lhrtsttania.     Meeting  held  June  ii,  1886. 


J'ARTHEST  NORTH^ 


if 


'    ( 


Other  side  of  the  Pole.     I  have  myself  had  an  opportu- 
nity  of  examining  large  quantities  of  driftwood  both  on 
the  west  coast  and  on   the  east  coast  of  Greenland.     I 
have,  moreover,  found  pieces  drifting  in  the  sea  off  the 
east  coast,  and,  like  earlier  travellers,  have  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  much   the   greater  part  of  it  can  only 
have  come   from    Siberia,  while  a  smaller  portion  may 
possibly  have  come  from  America.     For  amongst  it  are 
to  be  found  fir,  Siberian  larch,  and  other  kinds  of  wood 
peculiar  to  the  north,  which    could  scarcely  have  come 
from  any  other  quarter.     Interesting  in  this  respect  are 
the  discoveries  that  have  been  made  on  the  east  coast 
of  Greenland  by  the  second  German   Polar  Expedition. 
Out  of  twenty-five  pieces  of  driftwood,  seventeen  were 
Siberian   larch,  five   Norwegian  fir  (probably  Picea  obc 
vata\  two  a  kind  of  alder  {Alnus  incana?\  and   one  a 
poplar  {Popnlus   tremtda?   the   common    aspen),  all    of 
which  are  trees  found  in  Siberia. 

"By  way  of  supplement  to  these  observations  on 
the  Greenland  side,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  Jean- 
nette  expedition  frequently  found  Siberian  driftwood 
(fir  and  birch)  between  the  floes  in  the  strong  north- 
erly current  to  the  northward  of  the  New  Siberian  Isl- 
ands. 

"Fortunately  for  the  Eskimo,  such  large  quantities 
of  this  driftwood  come  every  year  to  the  coasts  of 
Greenland  that  in  my  opinion  one  cannot  but  assume 
that  they  are  conveyed  thither  by  a  constantly  flowing 


!  ; 


^^_. 


INTRODUCTION  2$ 

current,  especially  as  the  wood  never  appears  to  have 
been  very  long  in  the  sea-at  all  events,  not  without 
having  been  frozen  in  the  ice. 

"That  this  driftwood  passes  south  of  Franz  Josef 
Land  and  Spitzbergen  is  quite  as  unreasonable  a  theory 
as  that  the  ice-floe  with  the  relics  from  the  /eauue^/e 
drifted  by  this  route.  In  further  disproof  of  this  assump- 
tion it  may  be  stated  that  Siberian  driftwood  is  found 
nor/A  of  Spitzbergen  in  the  strong  southerly  current, 
against  which  Parry  fought  in  vain. 

"  It  appears,  therefore,  that  on  these  grounds  also 
we  cannot  but  admit  the  existence  of  a  current  flow- 
ing across,  or  in  close  proximity  to,  the  Pole. 

"As  an  interesting  fact  in  this  connection,  it  may 
also  be  mentioned  that  the  German  botanist  Grisebach 
has  shown  that  the  Greenland  flora  includes  a  series 
of  Siberian  vegetable  forms  that  could  scarcely  have 
reached  Greenland  in  any  other  way  than  by  the  help 
of  such  a  current  conveying  the  seeds. 

"  On  the  drift-ice  in  Denmark  Strait  (between  Iceland 
and  Greenland)  I  have  made  observations  which  tend  to 
the  conclusion  that  this  ice  too  was  of  Siberian  origin. 
For  instance,  I  found  quantities  of  mud  on  it,  wl^ich 
seemed  to  be  of  Siberian  origin,  or  might  possibly  have 
come  from  North  American  rivers.  It  is  possible,  how- 
ever, to  maintain  that  this  mud  originates  in  the  gla- 
cier rivers  that  flow  from  under  the  ice  in  the  north  of 
Greenland,  or  in    other  unknown  polar  lands ;   so   that 


^ 


24 


FAKTJIEST  NOKTII 


this  piece  Of  -evidence  is  of  less  importance  than  those 
already  named 

"  I'utti  all  this  together,  we  seem  driven  to  the 
conclusion  that  a  current  Jlcnvs  at  some  point  betxveen  the 
Pole  and  Franz  Josef  Land  from  the  Siberian  Arctic 
Sea  to  the  east  coast  of  Green/and. 

"That  such  must  be  the  case  we  may  also  infer  in 
another  way.     If  we  regard,  for  instance,  the  polar  cut- 
rent-that  broad  current  which  flows  down  from  the  un- 
known   polar  regions   between  Spitzbergen  and   Green- 
land -and  consider  what  an   enormous  mass  of  water 
it   carries    along,   it  must   seem   self-evident    that    this 
cannot  come  from  a  circumscribed  and  small  basin,  but 
nuist  needs  be  gathered  from  distant  sources,  the  more 
so  as  the  Polar  Sea  (so  far  as  we  know  it)  is  remarkably 
shallow  every  where  to  the  north  of  the  European,  Asiatic 
and  American  coasts.     The  polar  current  is   no  doubt 
fed  by  that  branch  of  the  Gulf  Stream  which  makes  its 
way  up  the   west  side  of  Spitzbergen ;    but  this  small 
stream   ,s  far  from   being  sufficient,  and  the  main  body 
of  its  water  must  be  derived  from  farther  northward. 

"  It  is  probable  that  the  polar  current  stretches  its 
suckers,  as  it  were,  to  the  coast  of  Siberia  and  Bering 
Strait,  and  draws  its  supplies  from  these  distant  regions'! 
The  water  it  carries  off  is  replaced  partly  through  the 
warm  current  before  mentioned  which  makes  its  way 
through  Bering  Strait,  and  partly  by  that  branch  of  the 
Gulf   Stream  which,  passing  by  the  north  of   Norwax-, 


JNTJiODUCTlON  „ 

bends  eastward  towards  Novaya  Zen.lya,  and  of  which  a 
great  portion  unc,„estionably  contin„e,s  its  eourse  alone 
the  north  coast  of  this  island  into  the  Siberian  Arctic 
Sea.       Ihat   a  current   coming  fron,   the   south   takes 
this  d,rec.ion_at  all  events,  in  some  measure-appears 
probab  e  from  the  well-known  fact  that  in  the  northern 
henmpherc  the  totation  of  the  earth  tends  to  con,pel  a 
northward. flowing  current,  whether  of  water  or  of  air 
to  assume  an  easterly  course.     The  earth's  rotation  nuay 
al»o  cause  a  southward- flowing  stream,  like  the  polar 
current,  to  direct  its  course  westward  to  the  east  coast 
ot  (jrcenland. 

"  But  even  if  these  currents  flowing  in  the  polar  basin 
d.d  not  ex,st,  I  an,  still  of  opinion  that  in  some  other 
way  a  body  of  water  must  collect  in  it,  sufficient  to  form 
a  polar  current.     In  the  first  place,  there  are  the  North 
turopean,   the    Siberian,   and    North    American    rivers 
debouchn,g  into   the  Arctic  Sea,  to  supply  this  water. 
ll>e   fluv,al  basin   of  these  ri^.ers  is  very  considerable, 
eompr,s,ng  a  large  portion  of  Northern  Europe,  almost 
he  whole  of  Northern  Asia  or  Siberia  down  to  the  Altai 
Mountan,s  and  Lake  Uaikal,  together  with  the  principal 
part  of  Alaska  and  British  North  America.     All  these 
added   together  form    no    .n,important   portion    of  the 
earth,  and   the  rainfall   of  these  countries  is  enormous. 
It  .s  not  conceivable  chat  the  Arctic  Sea  of  itself  could 
contnbute  anything  of  in,portancc  to  this  rainfall ;  for  in 
the  first  place,  it  is  for  the  n.ost  part  covered  with  drift- 


36 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


t 


h 


If 


ice,  from    which    the   evaporation    is    but    trifling;    and. 
in   the    next   place,  the   comparatively   low  temperature 
in  these  regions  prevents  any  considerable  evaporation 
taking  place  even  from   open  surfaces  of  water.     The 
moisture  that  produces  this  rainfall  must  consequently  in 
a  great  measure  come  from  elsewhere,  principally  from 
the  Atlantic    and   Pacific  oceans,    and    the   amount    of 
water  which  thereby  feeds  the  Arctic  Sea  must  be  very 
considerable.     If  we  possessed  sufficient  knowledge  of 
the  rainfall  in  the  different  localities  it  might  be  exactly 
calculated.* 

"  The  importance  of  this  augmentation  appears  even 
greater  when  we  consider  that  the  polar  basin  is  com- 
paratively small,  and,  as  has  been  already  remarked,  very 
shallow;  its  greatest  known  depth  being  from  60  to  80 
fathoms. 

"  But  there  is  still  another  factor  that  must  helj)  to 
increase  the  quantity  of  water  in  the  polar  basin,  and 
that  is  its  own  rainfall.  Weyprecht  has  already  pointed 
out  the  probability  that  the  large  inilux  of  warm,  moist 
atmosphere  from  the  south,  attracted  by  the  constant 
low  atmospheric  pressure  in  the  polar  regions,  must  en- 
gender so  large  a  rainfall   as  to  augment  considerably 


Smce  writing  the  above  I  have  tried  to  make  such  a  calculation,  and 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  aggregate  rainfall  is  not  so  large  as 
I  had  at  first  supposed.  See  my  paper  in  Tf,e  Nor^.egian  Geo,rap,ncal 
S^aety^  Annual,  III..  .89.-92.  p.  95  ;  and  The  Geo^,rap,ncal  Journal,  Lon- 


INTRODUCTION 


37 


the  amount  of  water  in  the  Polar  Sea.  Moreover,  the 
fact  that  the  polar  basin  receives  large  supplies  of  fresh 
water  is  proved  by  the  small  amount  of  salt  in  the  water 
of  the  polar  current. 

"  From  ail  these  considerations  it  appears  unquestion- 
able  that  the  sea  around  the  Pole  is  fed  with  considera- 
ble  quantities  of  water,  partly  fresh,  as  we  have  just  seen, 
partly  salt,  as  we  indicated  further  back,  proceeding  from' 
the  different  ocean  currents.  It  thus  becomes  inevitable, 
according  to  the  law  of  equilibrium,  that  these  masses' 
of  water  should  seek  such  an  outlet  as  we  find  in  the 
Greenland  polar  current. 

"  Let  us  now  inquire  whether  further  reasons  can  be 
found  to  show  why  this  current  flows  exactly  in  the  given 
direction. 

"  If  we   examine   the   ocean   soundings,  we   at  once 
find  a  conclusive  reason  why  the  main  outlet  must  lie 
between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland.     The  sea  here,  so 
far  as  we  know  it,  is  at  all  points  very  deep;   there'  is, 
i'ldeed,  a  channel  of  as  much  as   2500  fathoms  depth;' 
while  south  of  Spitzbergen  and  Franz  Josef  Land  it  is 
remarkably  shallow— not  more  than   160  fathoms.     As 
has   been    stated,  a  current   passes    northward    through 
Bering  Strait  and  Smith  Sound,  and  the  sounds  between 
the  islands  north  of  America,  though  here,  indeed,  tliere 
is  a  southward  current,  are  far  too  small  and  narrow  to 
form  adequate    outlets    for  the    mass  of  water  of  which 
we  are  speaking.     There  is,  therefore,  no  other  assump- 


28 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


tion  left  than  that  this  mass  of  water  must  find  its  outlet 
by  the  route  actually  followed  by  the  polar  current.     The 
channel  discovered  by  the  Jeaimette  expedition  between 
Wrangel  Land  and  the  New  Siberian  Islands  may  here  be 
mentioned  as  a  notable  fact.     It  extended  in  a  northerly 
direction,  and  was  at  some  points  more  than  80  fathoms 
deep,  while  at  the  sides  the  soundings  ran  only  to  40  or 
50  fathoms.     It  is  by  no  means  impossible  that  this  chan- 
nel may  be  a  continuation  of  the  channel  between  Spitz- 
bergcn  and  Greenland,*  in  which  case  it  would  certainly 
influence,  if  not  actually  determine,  the  direction  of  the 
main  current. 

"  If  we  examine   the  conditions  of  wind  and  atmos- 
pheric   pressure    over    the    Polar    Sea,   as    far    as    they 
arc    known,  it    would    ajjpcar    that    they    must   tend    to 
produce   a    current    across    the    Pole    in    the    direction 
indicated.       From    the  Atlantic  to  the  south    of  Spitz- 
bergen  and  Franz  Josef  Land  a  belt  of  low  atmosi^heric 
pressure  (minimum  belt)  extends  into  the  Siberian  Arctic 
Sea.     In    accordance    with   well-known   laws,  the    wind 
must  have  a  preponderating  direction  from  west  to  east 
on  the  south  side  of  this  belt,  and  this  would  promote  an 
eastward-flowing  current  along  the  north  coast  of  Siberia, 
such  as  has  been  found  to  exist  there.!     The  winds  on 


I 


*  Tlie  discovery  during  our  expedition  of  a  great  depth  in  the  polar 
basni  renders  it  higlily  probable  that  this  assumption  is  correct. 

t  The  experience  of  our  expedition,  however,  does  not  point  to  any 
such  eastward-flowing  current  along  the  Siberian  coast. 


,*^-. 


INTR  OD  UCT/OAT 


29 


W 


the  north  side  of  the  minimum  belt  must,  however,  blow 
mainly  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west,  and  will  conse- 
quently  produce  a  westerly  current,  passing  across  the 
Pole  towards  the  Greenland  Sea,  exactly  as  we  have  seen 
to  be  the  case. 

"  It  thus  appears  that,  from  whatever  side  we  consider 
this  question,  even  apart  from  the  specially  cogent  evi- 
dcnces  above  cited,  we  cannot  escape  the  conclusion  that 
a  current  passes  across  or  very  near  to  the  Pole  into  the 
sea  between  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen. 

"  This  being  so,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  plain  thing 
for  us  to  do  is  to  make  our  way  into  the  current  on  that 
side  of  the  Pole  where  it  flows  northward,  and  by  its 
help  to  penetrate  into  those  regions  which  all  who  have 
hitherto  worked  against  it  have  sought  in  vain  to 
reach. 

"My  plan  is,  briefly,  as  follows:  I  propose  to  have  a 
ship  built  as  small  and  as  strong  as  possible— just  big 
enough  to  contain  supplies  of  coals  and  provisions  fo"^ 
twelve  men  for  f^ve  years.  A  ship  of  about  170  tons 
(gross)  will  probably  suffice.  Its  engine  should  be  pow- 
erful enough  to  give  a  speed  of  6  knots ;  but  in  addition 
it  must  also  be  fully  rigged  for  sailing. 

"  The  main  point  in  this  vessel  is  that  it  be  built  on 
such  principles  as  to  enable  it  to  withstand  the  pressure 
of  the  ice.  The  sides  must  slope  sufficiently  to  prevent 
the  ice,  when  it  presses  together,  from  glutting  firm  hold 
of  the  hull,  as  was  the  case  with  the /m;/;/.  .V,-  and  other 


'A 


30 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


vessels.     Instead  of  nipping  the  ship,  the  ice  must  raise 
it  up  out  of  the  water.     No  very  new  departure  in  con- 
struction    is  likely  to  be  needed,  for  the  Jeannette,  not- 
withstanding  her   preposterous  build,  was  able  to  hold 
out  against  the  ice  pressure  for  about  two  years.     That 
a  vessel  can  easily  be  built  on  such  lines  as  to  fulfil  these 
requirements  no  one  will  question   who  has  seen  a  ship 
nipped  by  the  ice.     For  the  same  reason,  too,  the  ship 
ought  to  be  a  small  one ;  for,  besides  being  thus  easier  to 
manoeuvre  in  the  ice,  it  will  be  more  readily  lifted  by  the 
pressure  of  the  ice,  not  to  mention  that  it  will  be  easier 
to  give  it  the  requisite  strength.     It    must,  of  course,  be 
built  of  picked  materials.     A  ship  of  the  form  and  size 
here  indicated  will  not  be  a  good  or  comfortable  sea-boat, 
but  that  is  of  minor  importance  in  waters  filled  with  ice 
such  as  we  are  here  speaking  of.     It  is  true  that  it  would 
have  to  travel  a  long  distance  over  the  open  sea  before  it 
would  get  so  far,  but  it  would  not  be  so  bad  a  sea-boat  as 
to   be   unable   to   get  along,  even   though  sea-sick   pas- 
sengers might  have  to  offer  sacrifices    to  the   gods  of 
the   sea. 

"  With  such  a  ship  and  a  crew  of  ten,  or  at  the  most 
twelve,  able-bodied  and  carefully  picked  men,  with  a  full 
equipment  for  five  years,  in  every  respect  as  good  as 
modern  appliances  permit  of,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the 
undertaking  would  be  well  secured  against  risk.  With 
this  ship  we  should  sail  up  through  Bering  Strait  and 
westward  along  the  north  coast  of  Siberia  towards  the 


INTRODUCTION 


31 


New  Siberian  Islands*  as  early  in  the  summer  as  the  ice 
would  permit. 

"Arrived  at  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  it  will  be  ad- 
visable  to  employ  the  time  to  the  best  advantage  in  ex- 
amining the  conditions  of  currents  and  ice,  and  to  wait 
for  the  most  opportune  moment  to  advance  as  far  as 
possible  in  ice-free  water,  which,  judging  by  the  accounts 
of  the  ice  conditions  north  of  Bering  Strait  given  by 
American  whalers,  will  probably  be  in  August  or  the 
beginning  of  September. 

"  When   the  right   time  has    arrived,  then    we   shall 
plough  our  way  in  amongst  the  ice  as  far  as  we  can.     We 
may  venture    to   conclude   from   the  experience  of  the 
Jeannette  expedition  that  we  should  thus  be  able  to  reach 
a  point  north  of  tlie  most  northerly  of  the  New  Siberian 
Islands.     De  Long  notes  in  his  journal  that  while  the  ex- 
pedition was  drifting  in  the  ice  north  of  Bennett  Island 
they  saw  all  around  them  a  dark  '  water-sky  '-that  is  to 
say,  a  sky  which  gives  a  dark  reflection  of  open  water- 
indicating  such  a  sea  as  would  be,  at  all  events,  to  some 
extent  navigable  by  a  strong  ice -ship.     Next,  it   must 
be  borne   in   mind  that  the  whole  Jcauncttc   expedition 
travelled   in   boats,  partly  in   open    water,  from    Bennett 
Island    to    the  Siberian    coast,  where,  as  we   know,  the 


32 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


majority  of  them  met  with  a  lamentable  end. 
Nordenskiold  advanced  no  farther  northward  than 
to  the  southernmost  of  the  islands  mentioned  (at  the 
end  of  August)  but  here  he  found  the  water  every- 
where open. 

"  It  is,  therefore,  probable  that  we  may  be  able  to 
push  our  way  up  past  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  and 
that  accomplished  we  shall  be  right  in  the  current  which 
carried  the  Jeaniiette.  The  thing  will  then  be  simply  to 
force  our  way  northward  till  we  are  set  fast* 

"  Next  we  must  choose  a  fitting  place  and  nioor  the 
ship  firmly  between  suitable  ice-floes,  and  then  let  the 
ice  screw  itself  together  as  much  as  it  likes  —  the  more 
the  better.  The  ship  will  simply  be  hoisted  up  and  will 
ride  safely  and  firmly.  It  is  possible  it  may  heel  over 
to  a  certain  extent  under  this  pressure;  but  that  will 
scarcely  be  of  much  importance.  .  .  .  Henceforth  the 
current  will  be  our  motive  power,  while  our  ship,  no 
longer  a  means  of  transport,  will  become  a  barrack,  and 
we  shall  have  ample  time  for  scientific  observations. 

"  In  this  manner  the  expedition  will,  as  above  in- 
dicated, probably  drift  across  the  Pole,  and  onward 
to  the  sea  between  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen.  And 
when  we  get  down  to   the  8oth  degree  of  latitude,  or 


*  As  subsequently  stated  in  my  \( .  're  in  London  {^Geographical 
Society's  Journal,  p.  i8),  I  purposed  to  gv,  .lorth  along  the  west  coast  of 
the  New  Siberian  Islands,  as  I  thought  that  the  warm  water  coming  from 
the  Lena  would  keep  the  sea  open  here. 


( 


(i 


INTRODUCTION  33 

even  sooner,  if  it  is  summer,  there  is  every  likelihood  of 
our  getting  the  ship  free  and  being  able  to  sail  home. 
Should    she,  however,   be    lost    before    this -which    is 
certainly  possible,  though,  as   I   think,  very    unlikely  if 
she    is    constructed  in  the  way  above  described  -  the 
expedition  will  not,  therefore,  be  a  failure,  for  our  home- 
ward   course    must    in   any  case   follow  the   polar   cur- 
rent  on    to    the    North  Atlantic    basin ;    there  is  plenty 
of  ice    to    drift   on,   and   of   this    means    of   locomotion 
we    have    already    had    experience.      If    the    Jeaunette 
expedition    had   had   sufficient  provisions,   and    had    re 
mained   on   the  ice-floe  on  which   the   relics  were  ulti- 
mately found,  the    result    would    doubtless    have    been 
very    different    from    what    it    was.      Our    ship    cannot 
possibly  founder  under  the  ice-pressure  so  quickly  but 
that  there  would    be    time   enough   to  remove,  with  all 
our  equipment  and   provisions,  to  a  substantial  ice-f^oe 
which  we  should  have   selected    beforehand    in  view  of 
such  a  contingency.     Here  the  tents,  which  we  should 
take  with  us  to  meet  this  contingency,  would  be  pitched 
In   order   to   preserve  our  provisions   and   other  equip- 
n^ents,  we    should    not   place   them  all  together  on  one 
spot,   but    should    distribute    them   over   the  ice,  laying 
hem  on   rafts   of  planks   and   beams  which  we  should 
have   built  on   it.     This   will   obviate   the  possibility  of 
any  of   our   equipments   sinking,  even   should    the   floe 
on  which  they  are  break  up.     The  crew  of  the  Ha.sa 
who^  drifted  for  more   than   half  a  year  along  the  eas" 


! 


34 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\  (1 


\  t 


t  \ 


coast  of  Greenland,  in  this  way  lost  a  great  quantity  of 
their  supplies. 

"  For  the  success  of  such  an  expedition  two  things 
only  are  required,  viz.,  good  clothing  and  plenty  of 
food,  and  these  we  can  take  care  to  have  with  us. 
We  should  thus  be  able  to  remain  as  safely  on  our 
ice-floe  as  in  our  ship,  and  should  advance  just  as 
well  towards  the  Greenland  Sea.  The  only  difference 
would  be  that  on  our  arrival  there,  instead  of  proceed- 
ing by  ship,  we  must  take  to  our  boats,  which  would 
convey  us  just  as  safely  to  the  nearest  harbor. 

"  Thus   it   seems    to   me    there    is   an   overwhelmincr 
probability  that  such  an  expedition  would  be  successful. 
Many  people,  however,  will  certainly  urge:   'In  all  cur- 
rents there  are  eddies   and    backwaters;   suppose,  then, 
you  get  into  one  of  these,  or  perhaps  stumble  on  an  un- 
known land  up  by  the  Pole  and  remain  lying  fast  there, 
how  will   you    extricate  yourselves.?'      To  this   I   would 
merely  reply,  as  concerns  the  backwater,  that  we  must 
get  out  of  it  just  as  surely  as  we  got  into  it,  and  that  we 
shall  have  provisions  for  five  years.     And  as  regards  the 
other  possibility,  we  should  hail  such  an  occurrence  with 
delight,  for  no    spot   on   earth    could  well   be  found  of 
greater   scientific    interest.      On    this   newly  discovered 
land  we  should  make  as  many  observations  as  possible. 
Should  time  wear  on  and  find  us  still  unable  to  oet  our 
ship  into   the  set  of  the  current   again,  there  would  be 
nothing  for  it  but  to  abandon  her,  and  with  our  boats 


INIRODUCTJON 


35 


and  necessary  stores  to  search  for  the  nearest  cm-rent,  in 
order  to  dritt  in  the  manner  before  mentioned. 

"  How  long  may  we  suppose  such  a  voyage  to  occu- 
py ?  As  we  have  ah-eady  seen,  the  reHcs  of  the  Jean- 
nette  expedition  at  most  took  two  years  to  drift  aloncr 
the  same  course  down  to  the  8oth  degree  of  latitude'' 
where  we  may,,  with  tolerable  certainty,  count  upon  get- 
ting loose.  This  would  correspond  to  a  rate  of  about 
two  miles  per  day  of  twenty-four  hours. 

"  We  may  therefore  not  unreasonably  calculate  on 
reachmg  this  point  in  the  course  of  t.o  years;  and  it  is 
also  possible  that  the  ship  might  be  set  free  in  a  higher 
latitude  than  is  here  contemplated.  Five  years'  provi- 
sions must  therefore  be  regarded  as  ample. 

"  But  is  not  the  cold   in  winter  in   these   regions  so 
severe  that  life  will  be  impossibL.r     There  is  no  prob- 
ability  of  this.      We  can    even  say  with   tolerable    cer- 
tainty that  at  the  Pole  itself  it  is  not  so  cold  in  winter 
as  it  IS  (for  example)  in  the  north  of  Siberia,  an  inhabit- 
ed region,  or  on  the  northern  part  of  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland,  which  is  also  inhabited.     Meteorologists  have 
calculated   that   the    mean    temperature   at   the   Pole   in 
January  is  about  -^^^  Fahr.  (-36^  C).  while,  for  exam- 
ple, in  Yakutsk  it  is  -43^  Fahr.  (-43 '  Q,  and  in  Ver- 
khoyansk -54'  Fahr.  (_48^  C).     We  should  remember 
that  the  Pole  is  probably  covered  with  sea,  radiation  from 
which  ,s  considerably  less  than  from  large  land  surface^ 
such    as  the  plains   of    North  Asia.     The  polar  recio/ 


36 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


has,  therefore,  in  all  probability  a  marine  climate  with 
comparatively  mild  winters,  but,  by  way  of  a  set-off,  with 
cold  summers. 

"  The  cold  in  these  regions  cannot,  then,  be  any  direct 
obstacle.      One  diflficulty,  however,  which   many  former 
expeditions  have  had  to  contend  against,  and  which  must 
not  be  overlooked  here,  is  scurvy.     During  a  sojourn  of 
any  long  duration  in  so  cold  a  climate  this  malady  will 
unquestionably  show  itself  unless  one  is  able  to  obtain 
fresh    provisions.      I   think,  however,  it    may   be   safely 
assumed  that  the  very  various  and  nutritious  foods  now 
available  in  the  form  of  hermetically  closed  preparations 
of  different  kinds,  together  with  the  scientific  knowledge 
we  now  possess  of  the  food-stuffs  necessary  for  bodily 
health,  will  enable  us  to  hold  this  danger  at  a  distance. 
Nor  do  I  think  that  there  will  be  an  entire  absence  of 
fresh  provisions  in  the  waters  we  shall   travel   through. 
Polar  bears  and  seals  we  may  safely  calculate  on  finding 
far  to  the  north,  if  not  up  to  the  very  Pole.     It  may  be 
mentioned  also  that  the  sea  must  certainly  contain  quan- 
tities of  small  animals  that  might  serve  as  food  in  case  of 
necessity. 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  whatever  difificulties  may  be 
suggested  as  possible,  they  are  not  so  great  but  that  ^hey 
can  be  surmounted  by  means  of  a  careful  equipment,  a 
fortunate  selection  of  the  members  of  the  expedition, 
and  judicious  leadership;  so  that  good  results  may  be 
hoped  for.     We  may  reckon  on  getting  out  into  the  sea 


iMi 


INTRODUCTION 


37 


between  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen  as  surely  as  we  can 
reckon  on  getting  into  the  Jcannette  current  off  the  New 
Siberian  Islands. 

"  Hut  if  this  Jcannette  current  does   not  pass    right 
across  the  Pole  ?     If,  for  instance,  it  passes  between  the 
Pole  and  Franz  Josef  Land,  as  above  intimated  ?     What 
will  the  expedition  do  in  that  case  to  reach  the  earth's 
axis  ?     Yes,  this  may  seem  to  be  the  Achilles'  heel  of  the 
undertaking;    for   should  the  ship  be  carried  past  the 
Pole  at  more   than   one  degree's  distance   it  may   then 
apjiear  extremely  imprudent  and  unsafe  to  abandon  it  in 
mid-current  and  face  such  a  long  sledge-journey  over  un- 
even sea-ice,  which  itself  is  drifting.    Even  if  one  reached 
the  Pole  it  would  be  very  uncertain  whether  one  could 
find  the  ship  again  on  returning.  ...   I  am,  however,  of 
opinion  that  this  is  of  small  import :  it  is  not  to  seek  for 
the  exact  mathematical  point  that  forms  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  earth's  axis  that  we  set  out,  for  to  reach  this 
point  IS  ititrinsically  of  small  moment.     Our  object  is  to 
investigate  the  great  unknown  region  that  surrounds  the 
Pole,  and  these  investigations  will  be  equally  important, 
from  a  scientific  point  of  view,  whether  the  expedition 
passes  over  the  polar  point  itself  or  at  some  distance 
from  it." 

In  this  lecture  I  had  submitted  the  most  important 
data  on  which  my  plan  was  founded ;  but  in  the  follow- 
ing years  I  continued  to  study  the  conditions  of  the 
northern  waters,  and  received  ever  fresh  proofs  that  my 


7.8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


I 


m 


surmise  of  a  drift  ri-lu  across  the  Polar  Sea  was  correct. 
In  a  lecture  delivered  before  the  Geoirraphical  Society  in 
Christiania,  on  September  28,  1892.  I  alluded  to  some  of 
these  inquiries.*-     1  laid  stress  on  thr  I'lcf  thai  on  con- 
•sidering  the  thickness  and  extent  of  the  drift-ire  in  the 
seas  on  both  sides  of  the  Pole,  one  cannot  but  be  stnxk 
by  the  fact  that  while  the  ice  on  the  Asiatic  side,  north 
of  the  Siberian   coast,  is  comparatively  thin  (the  I'ce  in 
which  the /m«;.,v/^  drifted  was,  as  a  rule,  not  more  than 
from   7  to  10  feet  thick),  that  on  the  other  side,  which 
comes  drifting  from  the  north  in  the  sea  between  Green- 
land and   Spitzbergen,  is   remarkably   massive,  and  this, 
notwithstanding  that  the  sea  north  of  Siberia  is  one  of 
the  coldest  tracts  on  the  earth.     This,  I  suggested,  could 
be  explained  only  on  the  assumption  that  the  ice  is  con- 
stantly drifting  from  the  Siberian  coast,  and  that,  while 
passing  through  the  unknown  and  cold  sea  there  is  time 
for  it  to  attain  its  enormous  thickness,  partly  by  freezing, 
partly  by  the  constant  packing   that  takes 'place  as  ih^ 
floes  screw  themselves  together. 

I  further  mentioned  in  the  same  lecture  that  the  mud 
found  on  this  drift-ice  seemed  to  point  to  a  Siberian 
origin.  I  did  not  at  the  time  attach  great  importance 
to  this  fact,  but  on  a  further  examination  of  the  deposits 
I  had  collected  during  my  Greenland  expedition  it  ap- 
peared that  it  could  scarcely  come  from  anywhere  else 

*  See  the  Society's  Annual,  III.,  1S92.  p.  91. 


JNTRODUCTION 


39 


but  Siberia.     On  investigating  its  mineralogical  compo- 
sition,  Dr.  Torncboiim,  of  Stockholm,  came  to  tiie  con- 
clusion that  the  greater  part  of  it  must  be  Siberian  river 
mud.      He   found    about    twenty   different    mnierals    in 
It.      "  This    quantity   of    dissimilar   constituent    mineral 
parts  appears  to   me,"   he   says,  "to   point   to   the    fact 
that  they  take  their  origin  from  a  very  extensive  tract 
of   land,  and   one's  thoughts  naturally  turn  to   Siberia." 
Moreover,  more  than  half  of  this  mud  deposit  consisted 
of    humus,  or   boggy  soil.      More    interesting,  however, 
than  the  actual  mud  deposit  were  the  diatoms  found  in 
it,  which  were  examined  by  Professor  Cleve,  of  Upsala, 
who   says :    "  These  diatoms    are  decidedly  marine    {i.e., 
take  their  origin  from  salt-water),  with  some  few  fresh- 
water forms  which  the  wind  has  carried  from  land.     The 
diatomous  flora  in  this  dust  is  quite  peculiar,  and  unlike 
what  I  have  found   in   many  thousands  of   other  speci- 
mens, with  one  excej^tion,  with  which  it  shows  the  most 
complete  conformity— namely,  a  specimen  which  was  col- 
lected  by  Kellman  during   the   Vega  expedition   on    an 
ice-floe  off  Cape  Wankarem,  near  Bering  Strait.     Sjie- 
cies  and  varieties  were  perfectly  identical  in  both  speci- 
mens."     Cleve   was  able   to  distinguish    sixteen   species 
of   diatoms.     All    these    appear   also   in   the  dust   from 
Cape  Wankarem,  and  twel  e  of  them  have  been  found 
at  that  place  alone,  and  nowhere  else  in  all   the  world. 
This  was  a  notable   coincidence   between    two   such   re- 
mote   points,  and    Cleve    is   certainly    right    in    saying: 


40 


J^'AHTHEST  NOKTH 


i  I 


•  It  .s,  mdeed,  quite  remarkable  (hat  the  diatomous  fl„ra 
on  the  ice-floes  off  Bering  Suait  and  cm  ei,e  ea»t  eoast 
"f  Greenland  should  so  con.pletely  resemble  eacl,  „tl,er 
and  should  be  so  utterly  unlilce  all  others:  it  points  to 
an  open  connection  between  the  seas  east  „f  Greenland 
and  north  of  Asia."    ••  Through  this  open  connection," 
I  cont.nued  in  my  address,  "  drift-ice  is,  therefore,  yearly 
transported  across  the  tn.known  Polar  Sea.    On  Ms  s„,L 
dn/l..a,  an,/  ty  M  sa.nc  route.  H  ,nnst  6e  no  less  possi. 
ilc  lo  tmnsporl  an  expedition:' 

V\-ben  this  plan  was  propounded  it  certainly  „,et  with 
approval   n,   variotis  t|L,arters,  especially  here   at    home 
Ihus  ,t  was  vigorously  support..d  by  Professor  Mohn 
who,    mdeed,   by    his   e.vplanation    of    the  drift    of   the' 
Tcannetle   relies,  had  given   the  original    impulse   to  it 
But  as  might  be  e.vpected,  it  met  with  opposition  i„  the' 
man,,  especially  from  abroad,  while  most  of  the  polar 
travellers  and   Arctic  authorities  declared,  more  or  less 
openly,  that  it  was  sheer  madness.     The  year  before  we 
s.t  out,  ,„   November,  ,89.,  I   laid  it  before  the  Geo 
graphical  Society  in  London   in  a  lecture  at  which  the 
prmeipal    Arctic   travellers   of    England    were    present. 
After  the  lecture  a  discussion  took  place,-  which  plainly 
showed  how  greatly  I  was  at  variance  with  the  generally 
accepted  opinions  as  to  the  conditions  in  the  huerior  of 
the  Polar  Sea,  the  principles  of  ice  navigation,  and  the 


*k'  -v.,^ 


INTRODUCTION 


41 


methods    that    a    polar    expedition    ought    to    pursue. 
The    eminent    Arctic    traveller,    Admiral     Sir    Leopold 
M'CHntock,    opened    the    discussion    with    the    remark: 
"I    think    I    may    say    this    is    the    most    adventurous 
pro^trramme    ever    brought    under    the     notice    of    the 
Royal    Geographical    Society."       He    allowed    that    the 
facts  spoke  in  favor  of  the  correctness  of  my  theories, 
but  was    in   a    high   degree  doubtful    whether  my   plan 
could  be  reali/.ed.      He  was  especially  «f   opinion   that 
the  danger  of  being  crushed   in  the   ice  was  too  great. 
A  ship  could,  no  doubt,  be  built  that  would   be  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  ice  pressure  in  summer;  but  should 
it  be  exposed   to  this   pressure  in    the  winter  months, 
when  the  ice  resembled  a  mountain  frozen  fast  to  the 
ship's  side,  he  thought  that  the  possibility  of  being  forced 
up  on  the  surface  of  the  ice  was  very  remote.     He  firmly 
believed,  as  did   the  majority  of  the  others,  that   there 
was  no  probability  of  ever  seeing  the  Fram  again  when 
once  she  had  given  herself  over  to  the  pitiless  polar  ice, 
and  concluded  by  saying,  "  I   wish    the  doctor  full  and 
speedy  success.     Ihit   it   will    be   a   great    relief   to  his 
many  friends    in   England   when    he   returns,  and   more 
particularly  to   those   who   have    had   experience  of  the 
dangers    at   all    times    inseparable  from    ice    navigation, 
even  in  regions  not  quite  so  far  north." 
Admiral  Sir  George  Nares  said  : 
"The   adopted    Arctic  axioms   for  successfully  navi- 
gating an  icy  region  are  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary 


42 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


ii 


to  keep  close  to   a  coast  line,  and  that  the  farther  we 
advance    from    civih'zation,  the   more  desirable    it    is    to 
insure   a   reasonably  safe   line    of  retreat.     Totally   dis- 
regarding these,  the   ruling  principle    of   the   voyage  is 
that  the  vessel— on  which,  if  the  voyage  is  in  any'' way 
successful,  the  sole  future  hope  of  the  party  will  depend— 
is  to  be  pushed  deliberately  into  the  pack-ice.     Thus,  her 
commander  — in   lieu   of   retaining  any  power  over  her 
future  movements— will  be  forced  to  submit  to  be  drifted 
helplessly  about   in   agreement  with   the   natural   move- 
ments of  the  ice  M  which  he  is  imprisoned.     Supposing 
the   sea  currents  are  as  stated,  the  time   calculated  as 
necessary  to  drift  with  the  pack  across  the  polar  area  is 
several  years,  during  which  time,  unless   new  lands  are 
met  with,  the  ice  near  the  vessel  will  certainly  never  be 
quiet  and  the  ship  herself  never  free  from  the  danger  of 
being  crushed  by  ice  presses.     To  guard  against  this  the 
vessel   is  said   to  be  unusually  strong,  and  of  a  special 
form  to  enable  her  to  rise  when  the  ice  presses  against 
her  sides.      This  idea  is  no  novelty  whatever;  but  when 
once  frozen  into  the  polar  pack  the  form  of  the  vessel  goes 
for  nothing.     She  is  hermetically  sealed  to,  and  ioxm^  a 
part  of,  the  ice  block  surrounding  her.     The  form  of  the 
ship  is  for  all  practical  purposes  the  form  of  the  block  of 
ice  in  which  she  is  frozen.     This  is  a  matter  of  the  first 
importance,  for  there  is  no  record  of  a  vessel  frozen  into 
the  polar  pack  having  been  disconnected  from  the  ice, 
and  so  rendered  capable  of  rising   under  pressure  as  a 


JNTRODUCTION 


43 


separate  body  detached  from  the  ice  block,  even  in  the 
height  of  summer.  In  the  event  of  the  destruction  of 
the  vessel,  the  boats— necessarily  fully  stored,  not  only 
for  the  retreat,  but  for  continuing  the  voyage — are  to  be 
available.  This  is  well  in  theory,  but  extremely  difificult 
to  arrange  for  in  practice.  Preparation  to  abandon  the 
vessel  is  the  one  thing  that  gives  us  the  most  anxiety. 
To  place  boats,  etc.,  on  the  ice,  packed  ready  for  use, 
involves  the  danger  of  being  separated  from  them  by 
a  movement  of  the   ice,  or   of   losing    them    altocrether 

CD  ^ 

should  a  sudden  opening  occur.  If  we  merely  have  every- 
thing handy  for  heaving  over  the  side,  the  emercren- 
cy  may  be  so  sudden  that  we  have  not  time  to  save 
anything.  .  .  ." 

As  regards  the  assumed  drift  of  the  polar  ice,  Nares 
expressed  himself  on  the  whole  at  variance  with  me. 
He  insisted  that  the  drift  was  essentially  determined  by 
the  prevailing  winds: 

"  As  to  the  probable  direction  of  the  drift,  the  Fram, 
starting  from  near  the  mouth  of  the  Lena  River,  may 
expect  to  meet  the  main  pack  not  farther  north  than 
about  latitude  76^  30'.  I  doubt  her  getting  farther  north 
before  she  i.s  beset,  but  taking  an  extreme  case,  and 
giving  her  60  miles  more,  she  will  then  only  be  in  the 
same  latitude  as  Cape  Chelyuskin,  730  miles  from  the 
Pole,  and  about  600  miles  from  my  supposed  limit  of  the 
effective  homeward-carrying  ocean  current.  After  a  close 
study  of  all  the  information  we  possess,  I  think  the  wind 


44 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


■if 


will  be  more  likely  to  drift  her  towards  the  west  than 
towards  the  en.st.     W  ith  an  ice-enciimbered  sea  north  of 
her.  and  more  open  water  or  newly  made  ice  to  the  south- 
ward, the  chances  are  small  for  a  northerly  drift,  at  all 
events,  at  first,  and  afterwards  I  know  of  no  natural  forces 
that  will  carry  the  vessel  in  any  reasonable  time  much 
farther  from  the  Siberian  coast  than  the  Jca7incite  was 
carried,  and  during  the  whole  of  this  time,  unless  pro- 
tected  by  newly  discovered  lands,  she  will  be  to  all  intents 
and    purposes    immovably  sealed    up    in   the    pack,  and 
exposed  to  its  well-known  dangers.     There  is  no  doubt 
that  there  is  an  ocean  connection   across  the  area  pro- 
posed to  be  explored." 

In  one  point,  however,  Nares  was  able  to  declare  him- 
self in  agreement  with  me.  It  uas  the  idea  "that  the 
principal  aim  of  all  such  voyages  is  to  explore  the  un- 
known polar  regions,  not  to  reach  exactly  that  mathe- 
matical  point  in  which  the  axis  of  our  globe  has  its 
northern  termination."  * 

Sn-  Allen  Young  says,  among  other  things:  "Dr. 
Nansen  assumes  the  blank  space  around  the  axis  of  the 
earth  to  be  a  pool  of  water  or  ice;  I  think  the  great 
danger  to  contend  with  will  be  the  land  in  nearly  every 
direction  near  the  Pole.     Most  previous  navigators  seem 


*  After  our  return  home.  Admiral  Nares,  in  the  most  chivalrous  fashi.,n 
sent  me  a  letter  of  con-rat  ilation.  in  which  he  said  that  the  Fravf,  re- 
markable voyage  over  the  Polar  Sea  proved  that  my  theory  was  correct 
and  his  scepticism  unfounded. 


f 


INTRODUCTION 


45 


I 
i 


to  have  continued  seeing  land  again  and  again  farther 
and  farther  north.  These  Jcannelte  reh'cs  may  have 
drifted  through  narrow  channels,  and  thus  finally  arrived 
at  their  destination,  and,  I  think,  it  would  be  an  extreme- 
ly dangerous  thing  for  the  ship  to  drift  throucrh  them 
where  she  might  impinge  upon  the  land,  and  be  kept  for 
years." 

With  regard  to  the  ship's  form.  Sir  Allen  Young  says: 
"  I  do  not  think  the  form  of  the  ship  is  any  great  point, 
for,  when  a  ship  is  fairly  nipped,  the  question  is  if  there 
is  any  swell  or  movement  of  the  ice  to  lift  the  ship.  If 
there  is  no  swell  the  ice  must  go  through  her,  whatever 
material  she  is  made  of." 

One  or  two  authorities,  however,  expressed  themselves 
in  fa\'or  of  my  plan.  One  was  the  Arctic  traveller.  Sir 
E.  Inglefield,  another  Captain  (now  Admiral)  Wharton, 
Director  of  the  Hydrographic  Department  of  England. 

\n  a  letter  to  the  (ieograjjliical  Society,  Admiral  Sir 
George  H.  Richards  says,  on  the  occasion  of  my  address: 
"  I  regret  to  have  to  speak  discouragingly  of  this  i)r()i. 
ect,  but  I  think  that  any  one  who  can  si)eak  with  au- 
thority ought  to  speak  plainly  where  so  much  may  be  at 
stake." 

With  regard  to  the  currents,  he  says :  "  I  believe 
there  is  a  constant  outflow  (I  prefer  this  word  to  current) 
from  the  north,  in  consequence  of  the  displacement  of 
the  water  from  the  region  of  the  Pole  by  the  ice-cap 
which  covers  it,  intensified   in   its  density  by  the  enor- 


,1^  !i 


46 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


mous  weight  of  snow  accumulated  on  its  surface."     This 
outflow  takes  place  on  all  sides,  he  thinks,  from  the  polar 
basin,    but   should    be    most    pronounced   in    the    tract 
between    the    western    end   of   the    Parry    Islands    and 
Spitzbergen ;  and  with  this  outflow  all  previous  expedi- 
tions have  had  to  contend.     He  does  not  appear  to  make 
any  exception  as  to  the  Tcoc/kof  or  Jmnnettc,  and  can 
find  no  reason  "  for  believing  that  a  current  sets  north 
over   the    Pole   from   the    New  Siberian    Islands,  which 
Dr.  Nansen   hopes  for  and  believes  in.  ...    It   is   my 
opinion  that  when  really  within  what  may  be  called  the 
inner   circle,  say   about    ']^'   of    latitude,  there    is    little 
current  of  any  kind  that  would  influence  a  ship  in  the 
close    ice    that    must    be  expected;    it   is  when  we    get 
outside  this  circle— round  the  corners,  as  it  were— into 
the  straight  wide  channels,  where  the  ice  is  loose,  that 
we  are  really  affected  by  its  influence,  and  here  the  ice 
gets  naturally  thinner,  and  more  decayed  in  autumn,  and 
less  dangerous  to  a  ship.     Within  the  inner  circle  prob- 
ably not  much  of  the  ice  escapes ;  it  becomes  older  and 
heavier   every   year,  and    in    all    probability    completely 
blocks    the    navigation    of    ships   entirely.     This    is   the 
kind  of  ice  which  was  brought  to  Nares's  winter  quarters 
at  the   head   of   Smith   Sound   in   about  .S2     30'  north; 
and  this  is  the  ice  which  Markham  struggled  against  in 
his  sludge  journey,  and  against  which  no  human  power 
could  prevail." 

He  atta.aed  "  ,0   real   importance"  to  \\-\^  Jcannctte 


I 

I 


INTRODUCTION 


47 


relics.  "If  found  in  Greenland,  they  may  well  have 
drifted  down  on  a  floe  from  the  neigliborhood  of  Smith 
Sound,  from  some  of  the  American  expeditions  which 
u-ent  to  Greely's  rescue."  "  It  may  also  well  be  that 
some  of  De  Long's  printed  or  wrii.c^n  documents  in 
regard  to  his  equipment  may  have  been  taken  out  by 
these  expeditions,  and  the  same  may  apply  to  the  other 
articles."  He  does  not,  however,  expressly  say  whether 
there  \vas  any  indication  of  such  having  been  the  case. 

In  a  similar  letter  to  the  Geographical  Society  the 
renowned  botanist  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  says:  "Dr.  Nan- 
sen's  project  is  a  wide  departure  from  any  hitherto  put 
in  practice  for  the  purpose  of  polar  discovery,  and  it 
demands  the  closest  scrutiny  both  on  this  account,  and 
because  it  is  one  involving  the  greatest  peril. 

"  From  my  experience  of  three  seasons  in  the  Antarc- 
tic^ regions    I    do    not   think    that   a   ship,   of   whatever 
build,  could  long  resist  destruction  if  committed  to  the 
movements  of  the  pack  in  the  polar  regions.     One  built 
as  strongly  as   the  Fram  would    no  doubt   resist  great 
pressures  in  the  open  pack,  but  not  any  pressure  ox  re- 
peated   pressures,  and    still    less   the   thrust  of  the  pack 
if  driven  with  or  by  it  against   land.     The  lines  of  the 
Fram  might   be   of  service   so   long  as   she   was   on   an 
even  keel  or  in  ice  of  no  great  height  above  the  water- 
line;   but  amongst  floes  and  bergs,  or  when  thrown  on 
her  beam-ends,  they  would  avri'     rr  nothing." 

If   the   Fram  were    to   dnft    towards  the   Greenland 


48 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


coa^t  or  the  American   polar  islands  he  is  of  opinion 
that,  supposing  a  landing  could  be  effected,  there  would 
be  no  probability  at  all  of  salvation.     Assuming  that  a 
landing  could  be  effected,  it  must  be  on  an  inhospitable 
and    probably  ice-bound  coast,  or  on   the   mountainous 
ice  of  a  palajocrystic   sea.     With   a  certainly  enfeebled, 
and   probably  reduced    ship's   company,  there   could,  in 
such  a  case,  be  no  prospect  of  reaching  succor.     Putting 
aside    the   possibility  of   scurvy  (against  which  there  it 
no  certain   prophylactic),  have  the  depressing  influence 
on  the  minds  of  the  crew  resulting  from   lr,ng  confine- 
ment  in  very  close  quarters  durir^g  many  months  of  dark- 
ness, extreme  cold,  inaction,  ennui,  constant  peril,  and  ihe 
haunting  .Micertainty  as   to  the  future,  been  si'i^ciently 
taken  into  account  >     Perfunctory  duties  and  occupations 
do  not  avert  the  effects  of  these  conditions;  thcv  hardly 
mitigate  them,  and  have  been  known  to  aggravate  ihem. 
I  do  not  consider  the  attainment  of  Dr.  Nansen's  object 
by  the  means  at  his  disposal  to  be  impossible;  but  I  do 
consider  that  the  success   of  such  an   enterprise  would 
not  justify  the  exposure  of  valuable  lives  for  its  attain- 
ment." 

In  America,  General  Greely,  the  leader  of  the  ill-fated 
expedition  generally  known  by  his  name  (1881-84).  wrote 
an  article  in  The  Forum  (August,  1891),  in  which  he 
says,  among  other  things:  "It  strikes  me  as  almost  in- 
credible that  the  plan  here  advanced  by  Dr.  Nansen 
should  receive  encouragement  or  support.     It  seems  to 


If! 


U' 


JNTRODUCTION 


49 


me  to  be  based  on  fallacious  ideas  as  to  physical  condi- 
tions   within    the   polar   regions,   and    to   foreshadow,  if 
attempted,  barren  results,  apart  from  the  suffering  and 
death    among   its   members.     Dr.  Nansen,  so   far   as    I 
know,  has  had  no  Arctic  service;  his  crossing  of  Green- 
land, however  difficult,  is  no  more  polar  work  than  the 
scaling  of  Mount  St.  Elias.     It  is  doubtful  if  any  hydrog- 
rapher  would  treat  seriously  his  theory  of  polar  currents, 
or  if  any  Arctic  traveller  would  indorse  the  whole  scheme. 
There  are  perhaps  a  dozen  men  whose  Arctic  service  has 
been  such  that  the  positive  support  of  this  plan  by  even 
a  respectable  minority  would  entitle  it  to  consideration 
and  confidence.      These  men  are:  Admiral  M'Clintock, 
Richards,  Collinson,  and    Nares,  and   Captain   Markham 
of  the  Royal  Navy,  Sir  Allen  Young  and   Leigh-Smith 
of  England,  Koldewey  of  Germany,  Payer  of  Austria, 
Nordenskiold  of  Sweden,  and  Melville  in  our  own  coun- 
try.    I  have  no  hesitation   in   asserting  that  no  two  of 
these  believe  in  the  possibility  of  Nansen  s  first  proposi- 
tion-to build  a  vessel  capable  of  living  or  navigating 
in  a  heavy  Arctic  pack,  into  which  it  is  proposed  to  put 
his  shq).     The  second  proposition  is  even  more  hazard- 
ous, involving  as  it  does  a  drift  of  more  than  2000  miles 
in   a  straight  line  through  an   unknown   region,  during 
which  the  party  in  its  voyage  (lasting  two  or  more  year^ 
we  are  told)  would  take  only  boats  along,  encamp  on  an 
iceberg,  and  live  there  while  floating  across." 

After    this    General    Greely    proceeds    to    prove    the 


so 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


^ 
if 

li. 


falsity  of  all   my  assumptions.     Respecting  the  objects 
from    the  Jeannctte.  he   sa3s   plainly  that    he    does    not 
believe    in    them.     "  Probably  some   drift   articles    were 
found,"  he  says,  "and  it  would  seem  more  reasonable  to 
trace  them  to  the  Porfcus.  which  was  wrecked  in  Smith 
Sound,  about    looo   miles   north    of   Julianehaab. 
It    is    further    important    to    note    that,  if    the    articles 
were   really  from  the  Jeanncttc.  the  nearest  route  would 
have  been,  not  across  the  North  Pole  along  the  east  coast 
<  Greenland,  but  down   Kennedy  Channel  and  by  way 
<-;  Smith  Sound  and  Bafifin's  Bay,  as  was  suggested,  as  to 
drift  from  the  Porte^.sr 

We  could  not  pcssibly  get  near  the  Pole  itself  by  a 
long  distance,  says  Greely,  as  "  we  know  almost  as  well 
as  if  we  had  seen  it  that  there  is  in  the  unknown  re- 
gions an  extensive  land  whiJi  is  the  birthplace  of  the 
flat-topped  icebergs  or  the  palzeocrystic  ice."  In  this 
glacier-covered  land,  which  he  is  of  opinion  must  be  over 
300  miles  in  diameter,  and  which-  sends  out  icebergs  to 
Greenland  as  well  as  to  Franz  Josef  Land,*  the  "poIe 
itself  must  be  situated. 

"  As  to  the  indestructible  ship,"  he  says,  "  it  is  certain- 
ly a  most  desirable  thing  for  Dr.  Nansen."  His  mean- 
ing, however,  is  that  it  cannot  be  built.  "  Dr.  Nansen 
appears  to  believe  that  the  question  of  building  on  such 

*  With  reference  to  his  statement  that  Leigh-Smith  had  c  bserved  such 
^ebergs   on    the   nort,nvest  coast   of    Franz  Josef   Land,   it   may   be   re 
marked  that  no  human  being  has  ever  been  there. 


Ifl; 


m 


INTRODUCTION  5, 

Hnes  as  will  give  the  ship  the  greatest  power  of  resistance 
to  the  pressure  of  the  ice-floe  has  not  been  thoroughly 
and  satisfactorily  solved,  although  hundreds  of  thous^ands 
of  dollars  have  been  spent  for  this  end  by  the  seal  and 
whaling  companies  of  Scotland  and  Newfoundland  "     As 
-in  authority  he  quotes  Melville,  and   says  "every  Arctic 
navigator  of   experience    agrees  with    Melville's  dictum 
that  even  if  built  solid  a  vessel  could  not  withstand  the 
ice-pressure  of  the  heavy  polar  pack."     To  my  assertion 
that  the  ice  along  the  "  Siberian  coast  is  comparatively 
thin,  7  to  10  feet,"  he  again  quotes  Melville,  who  speaks 
of  ice  "50   feet  high,  etc."  (something  we  did  not  dis- 
cover, by-the-way,  during  the  whole  of  our  voyage). 

After  giving  still  more  conclusive  proofs^hat  the 
Fram  must  inevitably  go  to  the  bottom  as  soon  as  it 
should  be  exposed  to  the  pressure  of  the  ice,  he  goes  on 
to  refer  to  the  impossibility  of  drifting  in  the  ice  with 
boats.  And  he  concludes  his  article  with  the  remark 
that  "Arctic  exploration  is  sufficiently  credited  with 
rashness  and  danger  in  its  legitimate  and  sanctioned 
methods,  without  bearing  the  burden  of  Dr.  Nansen  s 
illogical  scheme  of  self-destruction." 

From  an  article  Greely  wrote  after  our  return  home, 
in  Harpers  Weekly  for  September  19th,  1896,  he 
appears  to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Jeannette  relics  were  genuine  and  that  the  assump- 
tion of  their  drift  may  have  been  correct,  mentionincr 
"  Melville.  Dall,  and  others "  as   not  believing  in  thein 


; 


I 


I  fl 


*t 


If 


1    £ 

If 


53 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


He  allows  also   that  my  scheme  has  been   carried  out 
in  spite  of  what  he  had  said.     This  time  he  concludes 
the  article  as  follows:  "In  contrasting  the  expeditions 
of   De   Long  and   Nan..en,  it  is  necessary  to  allude  to 
the  single  blemish  that  mars  the  otherwise  magnificent 
career  of  Nansen,  who  deliberately  quitted  his  comrades 
on  the  ice-beset  ship  hundreds  of  miles  from  any  known 
land,  with  the  int  >ntion  of  not  returning,  but,  in  his  own 
reported   words,  'to   go    to    Spitzocrgen,  where    he   felt 
certain  to  find  a  ship,'  600  miles  away.     De  Long  and 
Ambler  had  such  a  sense  of  honor  that  they  sacrificed 
their  lives  rather  than  separate  themselves  from  a  dying 
man,  whom   their    presence  could   not   save.      It  passes 
comprehension    how   Nansen   could   have  thus  deviated 
from  the  most  sacred  duty  devolving  on  the  commander 
of  a  na\'al  expedition.      The  safe  return  of  brave  CajD- 
tain  Sverdrup  with  the  Fyam  does  not  excuse  Nansen. 
Sverdrup's  consistency,  courage,  and  skill  in  holding  fast 
to   the  Fmm  and  bringing  his  comrades  back   to    Nor- 
way will  win  for  him,  in  the  minds  of  many,  laurels  even 
brighter  than  those  of  his  able  and  accomplished  chief." 

One  of  the  few  who  publicly  gave  to  my  plan  the 
support  of  his  scientific  authority  was  Professor  Supan, 
the  well-known  editor  of  Petermawis  Mitteiluuiycu.  In 
an  article  in  this  journal  for  1891  (p.  191),  he  not  only 
spoke  V  armly  in  its  favor,  but  supported  it  with  new 
suggestions.  His  view  was  that  what  he  terms  the 
Arctic  "  wind-shed  "  probably  for  the  greater  part  of  the 


INTRODUCTION 


53 


year  divides  the  unknown  polar  basin  into  two  parts. 
In  the  eastern  part  the  prevailing  winds  blow  towards 
the  Bering  Sea,  w  hile  those  of  the  western  part  blow 
towards  the  Atlantic.  He  thought  that,  as  a  rule,  this 
"wind-shed"  must  lie  near  the  Bering  Sea,  and  that  the 
prevailing  winds  in  the  tracts  we  purposed  traversing 
would  thus  favor  our  drift.  Our  experience  bore  out 
Professor  Supan's  theory  ii,   i  remarkable  deo-ree. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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CHAPTER   II 


\ 


i 


PREPARATIONS    AND    EQUIPMENT 

Foolhardy  as  the  scheme  appeared  to  some,  it  re- 
ceived powerful  support  from  the  Norwegian  Government 
and  the  King  of  Norway.  A  bill  was  laid  before  the 
Storthing  for  a  grant  of  ^11,250  (200,000  kroner),  or 
two-thirds  of  the  estimated  cost.  The  remaining  third 
I  hoped  to  be  able  to  raise  from  private  sources,  as  I 
had  already  received  promises  of  support  from  many 
quarters. 

On  June  30,  1890,  the  amount  demanded  was  voted 
by  the  Storthing,  which  thereby  expressed  its  wish  that 
the  expedition  should  be  a  Norwegian  one.  In  January, 
1 89 1,  Mr.  Thomas  Fearnley,  Consul  Axel  Heiberg,  and 
Mr.  Ellef  Ringnes  set  to  work  to  collect  the  further 
sum  required,  and  in  a  few  days  the  amount  was  sub- 
scribed. 

His  Majesty  King  Oscar  gave  ^1125  (20,000  kroner), 
while  private  individuals  in  Norway  gave  as  follows: 


\ 


PREFARATJONS   AND  EQUIPMENT  55 

L  s.  d. 

Consul  Axel  Heibeig 562  10  o 

Ditto              (later) 393  15  o 

Mr.  Anton  Chr.  Houen 1125  o  o 

Mr.  A.  Dick,  Hovik 281  5  o 

Ditto              (later) 393  15  o 

Mr.  Thomas  Fearnley  (merchant) 281  5  o 

Ditto                        (later) 56  5  o 

Messrs.  Ringnes  &  Co.  (brewers) 281  5  o 

Ditto                        (later)  ......       56  5  o 

Mr.  A.  S.  Kjosterud  (merchant),  Dram  men      ...    281  5  o 

Ditto                                  (latei)     .      56  5  o 

Mr.  E.  Sundt  (merchant),  Bergen 281  50 

Consul  VVestye  Egeberg 562  10  o 

Mr.  Halver  Schou 281  5  o 

Baron  Harald  Wedel  Jarlsberg  and  C.  lovenskiold. 

Minister  of  State 562  10  o 

Consul  Nicolay  H.  Knudtzon,  Christiansund  .     .     .     281  5  o 


Among  foreign  contributors  may  be  mentioned  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society  of  London,  which  showed 
its  sympathy  with  the  undertaking  by  subscribing  ^300 
sterling.  Baron  Oscar  Dickson  provided  at  his  own  cost 
the  electric  installation  (dynamo  accumulators,  and  con- 
ductors). 

As  the  work  of  equipment  proceeded,  it  appeared  that 
the  first  estimate  was  not  sufificient.  This  was  especially 
due  to  the  ship,  which  was  estimated  to  cost  ^8437  los. 
(150,000  kroner),  but  which  came  to  nearly  double  that 
sum.  Where  so  much  was  at  stake,  I  did  not  think  it 
right  to  study  the  cost  too  much,  if  it  seemed  that  a  little 
extra  outlay  could  insure  the  successful  result  of  the 
expedition.  The  three  gentlemen  who  had  taken  the 
lead  in  the  first  collection,  Mr.  Thomas  Fearnley,  Con- 


^^  •  *  »-  4  «  . 


n  ^  \ 


5^  FARTHEST  NORTH 

sul  Axel   Heiberg,  and  Mr.  Ellef  Ringnes,  undertook  at 
my  request  to  constitute  themselves   the  committee  of 
the  expedition  and  to  take  charge  of  its  pecuniary  affairs. 
In  order  to  cover  a  portion  of  the  deficiency,  they,  to- 
gether with  certain  members  of  the  Council  of  the  Geo- 
graphical  Society,  set  on  foot  another  private  subscrip- 
tion all  over  the  country,   while  the   same  society  at  a 
later  period   headed  a  national  subscription.     By  these 
means  about  ^956  5.^.  was  collected  in  all.     I  had  further 
to  petition  the   Norwegian   Storthing  for  an  additional 
sum  of  ^4500,  when  our  national  assembly  again  gave 
proof  of  its  sympathy  with  the  undertaking  by  grandng 
the  amount  named  (June  9,  1890). 

Finally  Consul  Axel  Heiberg  and  Mr.  Dick  subscribed 
an  additional  £2,^^  los.  each,  while  I  myself  made  up  the 
deficiency  that  still  remained  on  the  eve  of  our  departure. 

Statement  of  Accounts  of  the  Expedition  on  its  Setting 

Out,  1893. 

//icome. 

c.  »    r-  Kroner  ore. 

State  Grant  .     .  o 

H  A/T   Tu    ir-             , 280,000  o 

M.M.  1  he  King,  and  original  private  subscribers     .     .  105000  o 

Private  subscription  of  the  Geographical  Society    .     .         ,-,'78,     ., 

National  subscription  .  o  " 

J   ^  ^  2,287  21 

Interest  accrued    .  ^ 

J-,  ,  ,  9.729  78 

Iruaranteed  by  private  individuals     ...  5  400      o 

Deficit  covered  by  A.  Heiberg  and  A.  Dick    .     .     .'  ,.'000      o 

Ditto  F.  Nansen ,'  ^ 

•Geogiaphical  Society,  London  (^300) 
H.  Simon,  Manchester  (^100) 

A  Norwegian  in  Riga  (1000  roubles)  and  others      .     .  9,278    62 

'^°^''' ^u.339~~3^ 

*  Nearly  _^25,ooo.  """"' 


PREPARATIONS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


57 


Expetidititre. 

Kroner  ore. 

Wages  account 45,440      o 

Life  insurance  premiums  of  married  participators  .     .  5,361  90 

Instruments  account 12,978  68 

Ship  account 271  027      8 

Provisions  account 39,172  98 

Expenses  account 10,612  ^8 

Equipment  account 57,846  34 

'To'^^^ 444.339  36 


It  will  be  evident  from  the  plan  above  expounded  that 
the  most  important  point  in  the  equipment  of  our 
expedition  was  the  building  of  the  ship  that  was  to  carry 
us  through  the  dreaded  ice  regions.  The  construction 
of  this  vessel  was  accordingly  carried  out  with  greater 
care,  probably,  than  has  been  devoted  to  any  ship  that 
has  hitherto  ploughed  the  Arctic  waters.  I  found  in  the 
well-known  shipbuilder,  Colin  Archer,  a  man  who 
thoroughly  understood  the  task  I  set  him,  and  who 
concentrated  all  his  skill,  foresight,  and  rare  thorough- 
ness upon  the  work.  We  must  gratefully  recognize  that 
the  success  of  the  expedition  was  in  no  small  degree  due 
to  this  man. 

If  we  turn  our  attention  to  the  long  list  of  former  ex- 
peditions and  to  their  equipments,  it  cannot  but  strike 
us  that  scarcely  a  single  vessel  had  been  built  specially 
for  the  purpose— in  fact,  the  majority  of  explorers  have 
not  even  provided  themselves  with  vessels  which  were 
originally  intended  for  ice  navigation.     This  is  the  more 


if 


S8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


surprising  when  we  remember  the  sums  of  money  that 
have  been  lavished  on  the  equipment  of  some  of  these 
expeditions.  The  fact  is,  they  have  generally  been  in 
such  a  hurry  to  set  out  that  there  has  been  no  time  to 


'5 


I 


I 


i»iWk^ 


COLIN    ARCHER 


devote  to  a  more  careful  equipment.  In  many  cases, 
indeed,  preparations  were  not  begun  until  a  few  months' 
before  the  expedition  sailed.      The  present  expedition, 


j;5 

1 


r  »^>,r4-iV*f*?i■t.^  tj 


vmvs-,: '- f^a- -JT a|- t iirji,  ■  ■■■ 


PREPARATIONS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


59 


however,  could  not  be  equipped  in  so  short  a  time,  and 
if  the  voyage  itself  took  three  years,  the  preparations 
took  no  less  time,  while  the  scheme  was  conceived  thrice 
three  years  earlier. 

Plan  after  plan  did  Archer  make  of  the  projected 
ship;  one  model  after  another  was  prepared  and  aban- 
doned. 

Fresh  improvements  were  constantly  being  suggested. 
The  form  we  finally  adhered  to  may  seem  to  many  peo- 
ple by  no  means  beautiful ;  but  that  it  is  well  adapted  to 
the  ends  in  view  I  think  our  expedition  has  fully  proved. 
What  was  especially  aimed  at  was,  as  mentioned  on  page 
29,  to  give  the  ship  such  sides  that  it  could  readily  be 
hoisted  up  during  ice -pressure  without  being  crushed 
between  the  floes.     Greely,  Nares,  etc.,  etc.,  are  certainly 
right  in  saying  that  this  is  nothing  new.     I  relied  here 
simply  on    the   sad   experiences   of   earlier   expeditions. 
What,  however,  may  be  said  to  be  new  is  the  fact  that  we 
not  only  realized  that  the  ship  ought  to  have  such  a  form, 
but  that  we  gave  it  that  form,  as  well  as  the  necessary 
strength   for  resisting  great   ice -pressure,  and  that  this 
was  the  guiding  idea  in  the  whole  work  of  construction. 
Colin  Archer  is  quite  right  in  what  he  says  in  an  article 
in  the  Norsk  Tidsskrift  for  Sovcesen,  1892:   "When  one 
bears  in  mind  what  is,  so  to  speak,  the  fundamental  idea 
of  Dr.  Nansen's  plan  in  his  North  Pole  Expedition 
it  will  readily  be  seen  that  a  ship  which  is  to  be  built 
with   exclusive    regard    to  its  suitability  for  this  object 


II 


Co 


J^'ARTHEST  NORTH 


\ 


'■     \ 


must  differ  essentially  from  any  other  previously  known 
vessel.  .  .  . 

"  In  the  construction  of  the  ship  two  points  nuist  be 
especially  studied:  (i)  that  the  shape  of  the  hull  be  such 
as  to  offer  as  small  a  vulnerable  target  as  possible  to  the 
attacks  of  the  ice;  and  (2)  that  it  be  built  so  solidly  as  to 
be  able  to  withstand  the  greatest  possible  pressure  from 
without  in  any  direction  whatsoever." 

And  thus  she  was  built,  more  attention  being  paid  to 
making  her  a  safe  and  warm  stronghold  while  drifting  in 
the  ice  than  to  endowing  her  with  speed  or  good  saiHng 
qualities. 

As  above  stated,  our  aim  was  to  make  the  ship  as  small 
as  possible.     The  reason  of  this  was  that  a  small  ship  is, 
of  course,  lighter  than   a  large  one,  and  can   be   madJ 
stronger  in  proportion  to  her  weight.     A  small  ship,  too, 
is  better  adapted  for  navigation  among  the  ice;    it  is 
easier  to  handle  her  in  critical  moments,  and  to  f^nd  a 
safe  berth  for  her  between  the  nacking  ice-floes.     I  was 
of  opinion  that  a  vessel  of  170  tons  register  would  suffice, 
but  the  Fram  is  considerably  larger,  402  tons  gross  and 
307  tons  net.     It  was  also  our  aim  to  build  a  short  vessel, 
which  could  thread  her  way  easily  among  the  floes,  es- 
pecially as  great  length  would  have  been   a  source  of 
weakness  when  ice-pressure  set  in.     But  in  order  that 
such  a  ship,  which  has,  moreover,  very  sloping  sides,  shall 
possess  the  necessary  carrying   capacity,  she   must   be 
broad;    and  her  breadth  is,  in  fact,  about  a  third  of  her 


111 


t^-^ft./vVWli. 


(-  !  I 


62 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


u    \.i 


length.     Another  point  of  importance  was  to  make  the 
sides  as  smooth   as  possible,  without  projecting  edges, 
while  plane  surfaces  were  as  much  as  possible  avoided  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  most  vulnerable  points,  and  the 
hull   assumed  a  plump  and  rounded  form.     Bow,  stern, 
and  keel— all  were  rounded  off  so  that  the  ice  should  not 
be  able  to  get  a  grip  of  her  anywhere.     For  this  reason, 
too,  the   keel   was  sunk   in   the  planking,  so  that  barely 
three    inches  protruded,  and    its    edges    were    rounded. 
The  object  was  that  "  the  whole  craft  should  be  able  to 
slip  like  an  eel  out  of  the  embraces  of  the  ice." 

The  hull  was  made  pointed  fore  and  aft,  and  some- 
what resembles  a  pilot-boat,  minus  the  keel  and  the  sharp, 
garboard  strakes.     Both  ends  were  made  specially  strong. 
The  stem  consists  of  three  stout  oak  beams,  one  insid^'e 
the    other,  forming   an    aggregate   thickness   of  4   feet 
(i.::5  m.)  of  solid  oak;    inside  the  stem  are  fitted  solid 
breasthooks   of   oak   and   iron   to   bind   the  ship's  sides 
together,  and  from   these   breasthooks  stays  are  placed 
against  the  pawl-bit.     The  bow  is  protected  by  an  iron 
stem,  and  across  it  are  fitted  transverse  bars  which  run 
some  small  distance  backwards  on  either  side,  as  is  usual 
in  sealers. 

The  stern  is  of  a  special  and  somewhat  particular 
construction.  On  either  side  of  the  rudder  and  propeller 
posts— which  are  sided  24  inches  (65  cm.)-is  fitted  a 
stout  oak  counter-timber  following  the  curvature  of  the 
stern   right  up   to   the   upper  deck,  and  forming,  so   to 


rJilWARATJONS  AND   EQUIPAfKNT 


63 


the 


speak,  a  double  stern-post.  The  planking  is  carried  out- 
side these  timbers,  and  the  stern  protected  by  heavy  iron 
plates  wrought  outside  the  planking. 

Between  these  two  counter-timbers  there  is  a  well  for 
the  screw,  and  also  one  for  the  rudder,  through  which 
they  can  both  be  hoisted  up  on  deck.  It  is  usual  in 
sealers  to  have  the  screw  arranged  in  this  way,  so  that 
it  can  easily  be  replaced  by  a  spare  screw  should  it 
be  broken  by  the  ice.  Hut  such  an  arrangement  is  not 
usual  in  the  case  of  the  rudder,  and,  while  with  our  small 
crew,  and  with  the  help  of  the  capstan,  we  could  hoist 
the  rudder  on  deck  in  a  few  minutes  in  case  of  any  sud- 
den ice-pressure  or  the  like,  I  have  known  it  take  seal- 
ers with  a  crew  of  over  60  men  several  hours,  or  even  a 
whole  day,  to  ship  a  fresh  rudder. 

The  stern  is,  on  the  whole,  the  Achilles'  heel  of  ships 
in  the  Polar  Seas;  here  the  ice  can  easily  inflict  great 
damage,  for  instance,  by  breaking  the  rudder.  To  guard 
against  this  danger,  our  rudder  was  placed  so  low  down 
as  not  to  be  visible  above  water,  so  that  if  a  floe  should 
strike  the  vessel  aft,  it  would  break  its  force  against  the 
strong  stern-part,  and  could  hardly  touch  the  rudder  it- 
self. As  a  matter  of  fact,  notwithstanding  the  violent 
pressures  we  met  with,  we  never  suffered  any  injury  in 
this  respect. 

Everything  was  of  course  done  to  make  the  sides  of 
the  ship  as  strong  as  possible.  The  frame  timbers  were 
of  choice  Italian   oak  that   had  originally  been  intended 


>i\\ 


<54 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


:  '"•  ^"™''S''^"  "•">'•  -'1  I'-J  lai.>  under  cover  at 
^^r  en  for  30  years.  They  were  al,  grown  .0  .hape,  and 
— .  .nches  th,ck.  The  frames  were  built  h,  two 
cou.,s  or  t,ers,  clo.ely  wrought  together,  and  connected 
by  bolts  some  of  which  were  riveted.  Over  each  joint 
fla  .ron  bands  were  placed.  The  frames  were  about  -, 
■nches  (56  cm.)  wide,  and  were  placed  close  toijether  wiih 

on  y  about  an  inch  or  an  inch  and  a  half  bcLen; 
these  ,nterst,ces  were  filled  with  pitch  and  sawdust  mi.cd, 
from    he  keel  to  a  little  di.stance  above  the  watcr-line 
m  order  .0  keep  the  ship  moderately  water-tight,  even' 
should  the  outer  skin  be  clwfed  tbr„u..h 

The  outside  planking  consists  of'^three  layers      The 
mner  one  is  of  oak,  3  inches  thick,  fastened  with 'spikes 
and  carefully  calked:  outside  this  another  oak  sbeat      g 
4  mches  th.ck,  fastened  with  through  bolts  and  calked 
and  ou.s,de  these  comes  the  ice-skin  of  greenheart        ch 
ke  the  other  planking  runs  right  down  to  the  ke  1.     I 
he  water-hne  ,t  is  6  inches  thick,  gradually  diminishing 
towards  the  bottom  to  3  inches.     ,t  is  fastened  with  .1 
and  jagged  bolts,  and  not  with  through  bolts;  so  that  i 

the  hull  of  the  sh,p  would  not  have  suffered  any  .rl 
damage.     The  lining  inside  the  frame  timbers  is  of  pit   , 

caretuliy  calked  once  or  twice. 

The  total   thickness  of  the  ships  sides  is,  therefore 
from  .4  to  .8  inches  of  solid  water-tight  wood.     It  win 


ti. 


liiiii.. 


PREPAR^iTJONS  AND   EQU/i'MENT 


65 


readily  be  understood   that  such  a  ship's  side,  with   its 
rounded  form,  would  of  itself  offer  a  very  good  resistance 
to  the  ice;  but  to  make  it  still  stronger  the  inside  was 
shored  up  in  every  possible  way,  so  that  the  hold  looks 
like  a  cobweb  of  balks,  stanchions,  and   braces.     In  the 
first  place,  there  are  two  rows  of  beams,  the  upper  deck 
and  between  decks,  principally  of  solid   oak,  partly  also 
of  pitch  pine;  and  all  of  these  are  further  connected 
with  each  other,  as  well  as  with  the  sides  of  the  ship,  by 
numerous  supports.      The  accompanying  diagrams  will 
show  how  they  are  arranged.     The  diagonal  stays  are. 
of  course,  placed  as  nearly  as  possible  at  right  angles  to 
the  sides  of  the  ship,  so  as  to  strengthen   them  against 
external  pressure  and  to  distribute  its  force.     The  ver- 
tical  stanchions  between    both    tiers  of  beams  and   be- 
tween   the    lower    beams    and    keelson    are    admirably 
adapted  for  this   latter   object.     All   are   connected  to- 
gether with   strong  knees  and  iron  fastenings,  so  that 
the  whole  becomes,  as  it  were,  a  single  coherent  mass. 
It  should   be  borne  in    mind    that,  while  in  former  ex- 
peditions  it  was  thought  sufificient  to  give  a  couple  of 
beams  amidships  some  extra  strengthening,  every  single 
cross  beam  in  the  Fram  was  stayed  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed and  depicted. 

In  the  engine-room  there  was,  of  course,  no  space  for 
supports  in  the  middle,  but  in  their  place  two  stay  ends 
were  fixed  on  either  side.     The  beams  of  the  lower  deck 

were  placed  a  little  under  the  water-line,  where  the  ice 
5 


66 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


I 


i     i\ 


II       ■ 
II 

ill 


pressure   woild    be    severest.      In    the   after-hold   these 
beams  had  to  be  raised  a  little   to  give   room  for  the 
engine.     The  upper  deck  aft,  therefore,  was  somewhat 
higher  than  the  main  deck,  and  the  ship  h:^d  a  poop  or 
half-deck,  under    which    were    the    cabins    for    all    the 
members  of  the  expedition,  and  also  the  cooking-galley. 
Strong  iron  riders  were  worked  in  for  the  whole  length 
of  the  sliip  in  the  spaces  between  the  beams,  extending 
in  one  length  from   the    clamp  under   the  upper  deck 
nearly  to  the    keelson.      The  keelson  was  in  two  tiers 
and  about  31   inches  (80  cm.)  high,  save  in  the  engine- 
room,  where  the  height  of  the  room  only  allows  one  tier. 
The  keel  consists  ot  two  heavy  American  elm  logs  14 
inches  square  ;  but,  as  has  been  mentioned,  so  built  in 
that  only  3  inches  protrude  below  the  outer  planking. 
The  sides   of  the   hull   are   rounded  downward   to   the 
keel,  so  that  a  transverse  section  at  the   midship  frame 
reminds  one  forcibly  of  half  a  cocoanut  cut  in  two.     The 
higher  the  ship  is  lifted  out  of   the  water,  the  heavier 
does  she,  of  course,  become,  and  the  greater  her  press- 
ure on  the  ice,  but  for  the  above  reason  the  easier  also 
does  it  become  for  the  ice   to  lift.      To   obviate  much 
heeling,  in  case  the  hull  should  be  lifted  very  high,  the 
bottom  was  made  flat,  and  this  proved  to  be  an  excellent 
idea.      I   endeavored    to    determine   experimentally   the 
friction  of  ice  against  wood,  and  taking  into  account  the 
strength  of  the  ship,  and  the  angle  of  her  sides  with  the 
surface  of  the  water,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  her 


ill 


J'REPARATJONS  AND  EQUIPMENT  67 

Strength  must  be  many  times  sufficient  to  witiistanrl  the 
pressure  necessary  to  lift  her.  This  calculation  was 
amply  borne  out  by  experience. 

The   principal  dimensions  of  the  ship  were   as  fol- 
lows:    Length  cf  keel,  102  feet;  length  of   water-line, 
113  feet;  length  from  stem  to  stern  on  deck.  .28  feet' 
extreme  breadth,  36  feet;  breadth  of  water-line,  exclusive' 
of  ice -skin.  34  feet;  depth,  17  feet;    draught  of  water 
with  light  cargo,  i2i  feet;  displacement  with  light  cargo, 
530  tons;  with  heavy  cargo  the  draught  is  over  15  f^et 
and  the  displacement  is  800  tons ;  there  is  a  freeboard  of 
about  3  feet  6  inches.     The  hull,  with  boilers  filled,  was 
calculated  to  weigh   about  420  tons,  and  with  800  tons 
displacement  there  should,  therefore,  be  spare  carrying- 
power  tor  coal  and  other  cargo   to  the  amount  of  380 
tons.     Thus,  in  addition  to  the  requisite  provisions  for 
dogs  and  men  for  more  than  five  years,  we  could  carry 
coal  for  four  months'  steaming  at  full  speed,  which  was 
more  than  sufficient  for  such  an  expedition  as  this. 

As  regards  the  rigging,  the  most  important  object  was 
to  have  it  as  simple  and  as  strong  as  possible,  and  at 
the  same  time  so  contrived  as  to  offer  the  least  possible 
resistance  to  the  wind  while  the  ship  was  under  steam 
With  our  small  crew  it  was,  moreover,  of  the  last  import- 
ance that  it  should  be  easy  to  work  from  deck.  For  this 
reason  the  Fram  was  rigged  as  a  three-masted  fore-and- 
aft  schooner.  Several  of  our  old  Arctic  skippers  dis- 
approved of  this  arrangement.     They  had  always  been 


P  !■  I 


5  t 


68 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


used  to  sail  with  square  -  rigged  ships,  and,  with  the 
conservatism  peculiar  to  their  class,  were  of  opinion 
that  what  they  had  used  was  the  only  thing  that  could 
be  used  in  the  ice.  However,  the  rig  we  chose  was  un- 
questionably the  best  for  our  purpose.  In  addition  to 
the  ordinary  fore-and-aft  sails  we  had  two  movable  yards 
on  the  foremast  for  a  square  foresail  and  topsail.  As  the 
yards  were  attached  to  a  sliding  truss  they  could  easily 
be  hauled  down  when  not  in  use.  The  ship's  lower 
masts  were  tolerably  high  and  massive.  The  mainmast 
was  about  So  feet  high,  the  maintopmast  was  50  feet 
high,  and  the  crow's-nest  on  the  top  was  about  102  feet 
(32  m.)  above  the  water.  It  was  important  to  have  this 
as  high  as  possible,  so  as  to  have  a  more  extended  view 
when  it  came  to  picking  our  way  through  the  ice.  The 
aggregate  sail  area  was  about  6000  square  feet. 

The  ship's  engine,  a  triple  expansion,  was  made  with 
particular  care.  The  work  was  done  at  the  Akers 
Mechanical  Factory,  and  Engineer  Norbeck  deserves 
especial  credit  for  its  construction.  With  his  quick 
insight  he  foresaw  the  various  possibilities  that  might 
occur,  and  took  precautions  against  them.  The  triple- 
expansion  system  was  chosen  as  being  the  most  econom- 
ical in  the  consumption  of  coal ;  but  as  it  might  happen 
that  one  or  other  of  the  cylinders  should  get  out  of  order, 
it  was  arranged,  by  means  of  separate  pipes,  that  any  of 
the  cylinders  could  be  cut  off,  and  thus  the  other  two,  or, 
at  a  pinch,  even  one  alone,  could  be  used.     In  this  way 


t 


PREPARATIONS  AND   EQUIPMENT 


69 


the  engine,  by  the  mere  turning  of  a  cock  or  two,  could 
be  changed  at  will  into  a  compound  high-pressure  or 
low-pressure  engine.  Although  nothing  ever  went  wrong 
with  any  of  the  cylinders,  this  arrangement  was  fre- 
quently used  with  advantage.  By  using  the  engine  as  a 
compound  one,  we  could,  for  instance,  give  the  Fram 
greater  speed  for  a  short  time,  and  when  occasion  de- 
manded we  often  took  this  means  of  forcing  our  way 
through  the  ice.  The  engine  was  of  220  indicated  horse- 
power, and  we  could  in  calm  weather  with  a  liHit  careo 
attain  a  speed  of  6  or  7  knots. 

The  propellers,  of  which  we  had  two  in  reserve,  were 
two-bladed,  and  made  of  cast-iron;  but  we  never  used 
either  the  spare  propellers  or  a  spare  rudder  which  we 
had  with  us. 

Our  quarters  lay,  as  before  mentioned,  abaft  under  the 
half-deck,  and  were  arranged  so  that  the  saloon,  which 
formed  our  dining-room  and  drawing-room,  was  in  the 
middle,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  sleeping-cabins. 
These  consisted  of  four  state-rooms  with  one  berth  apiece 
and  two  with  four  berths.  The  object  of  this  arrange- 
ment was  to  protect  the  saloon  from  external  cold ;  but, 
further,  the  ceiling,  floors,  and  walls  were  covered  with 
several  thick  coatings  of  non-conducting  material,  the 
surface  layer,  in  touch  with  the  heat  of  the  cabin,  con- 
sisting of  air-tight  linoleum,  to  prevent  the  warm,  damp 
air  from  penetrating  to  the  other  side  and  depositing 
moisture,  which  would  soon  turn  to  ice.     The  sides  of 


70 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


( 


the  ship  were  lined  with  tarred  felt,  then  came  a  space 
with  cork  padding,  next  a  deal  panelling,  then  a  thick 
layer  of  felt,  next  air-tight  linoleum,  and  last  of  all  an 
inner  panelling.     The  ceiling  of  the  saloon  and  cabins 
consisted  of  many  different  layers:  air,  felt,  deal  panelling, 
reindeer-hair  stuffing,  deal  panelling,  linoleum,  air  and 
deal  panelling,  which,  with  the  4-inch  deck  planks,  gave 
a  total  thickness  of  about  15  inches.     To  form  the  floor 
of  the  saloon,  cork  padding,  6  or  7  inches  thick,  was  laid 
on  the  deck  planks,  on  this  a  thick  wooden  floor,  and 
above    all    linoleum.      The    skylight   which    was    most 
exposed   to  the  cold  was  protected  by  three  panes  of 
glass,  one  within  the  other,  and  in  various  other  ways. 
One  of  the  greatest  difficulties^  of   life   on  board  ship 
which  former  Arctic   expeditions  had    had  to   contend 
with  was  that  moisture  collecting  on   the  cold  outside 
walls  either  froze  at  once  or  ran  down  in  streams  into 
the  berths  and  on  to  the  floor.     Thus  it  was  not  unusual 
to  find  the  mattresses  converted  into  more  or  less  solid 
masses   of   ice.     We,  however,  by   these   arrangements, 
entirely  avoided  such  an  unpleasant  state  of  things,  and 
when  the  fire  was  lighted  in  the  saloon  there  was  not  a 
trace  of   moisture   on  the  walls,   even   in  the   sleeping- 
cabins.     In   front  of  the   saloon    lay  the   cook's   galley, 
on  either  side  of  which  was  a  companion  leading  to  the 
deck. 

As  a  protection  against  the  cold,  each  of  these  com- 
panion-ways was  fitted  with  four  small  solid  doors  con- 


1*^. 


PREPARATIONS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


71 


sisting  of  several  layers  of  wood  with  felt  between,  all 
of  which  had  to  be  passed  through  on  going  out.  And 
the  more  completely  to  exclude  the  cold  air  the  thresholds 
of  the  doors  were  made  more  than  ordinarily  high.  On 
the  half-deck  over  the  cook's  galley,  between  the  main- 
mast and  the  funnel,  was  a  chart-room  facing  the  bow, 
and  a  smaller  work-room  abaft. 

In  order  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  ship  in  case  of  a 
leak,  the  hold  was  divided  into  three  compartments  by 
water-tight  bulkheads.     Besides  the  usual  pumps,  we  had 
a  powerful  centrifugal  pump  driven  by  the  engine,  which 
could  be  connected  with  each  of  the  three  compartments. 
It  may  be  mentioned  as  an  improvement  on  former  expe- 
ditions that  the  jFram  was  furnished  with   an  electric 
light  installation.     The  dynamo  was  to  be  driven  by  the 
engine  while  we  were  under  steam ;  while  the  intention 
was  to  drive  it  partly  by  means  of  the  wind,  partly  by 
hand  power,  during  our  sojourn   in  the  ice.      For  this 
purpose  we  took  a  windmill  with  us,  and  also  a  "  horse- 
mill  "  to  be  worked  by  ourselves.     I  had  anticipated  that 
this  latter  might  have  been  useful  in  giving  us  exercise 
in  the  long  polar  night.     We  found,  however,  that  there 
were  plenty  of  other  things  to  do,  and  we  never  used  it; 
on   the  other  hand,  the  windmill  proved  extremely  ser- 
viceable.     For  illumination   when  we  might    not   have 
enough  power  to  produce  electric  light,  we  took  with  us 
about  16  tons  of  petroleum,  which  was  also  intended  for 
cooking  purposes   a  v'    for  warming  the   cabins.     This 


72 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


Mi 


p 


petroleum,  as  well  as  20  tons  of  common  kerosene  *  in- 
tended to  be  used  along  with  coal  in  the  boiler,  was  stored 
m  massive  iron  tanks,  eight  of  which  were  in  the  hold 
and  one  on  deck.     In  all,  the  ship  had  eight  boats,  two 
of  which  were  especially  large,  29  feet  long  and  9  feet 
wide.     These  were  intended  for  use  in  case   the   ship 
should,  after  all,  be  lost,  the  idea  being  that  we  should 
live  in  them  while  drifting  in  the  ice.     They  were  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  whole  ship's  company  with 
provisions   for  many   months.      Then   there   were   four 
smaller  boats  of  the  form  sealers  generally  use.     They 
were  exceedingly  strong  and  lightly  built,  two  of  oak  and 
two  of  elm.     The  seventh  boat  was  a  small  pram,  and  the 
eighth  a  launch  with  a  petroleum  engine,  which,  however, 
was  not  very  serviceable,  and  caused  us  a  great  deal  of 
trouble. 

x^s  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  later  on  to  speak  of 
other  details  of  our  equipment,  I  shall  content  myself 
here  with  mentioning  a  few  of  the  most  important. 

Special  attention  was,  of  course,  devoted  to  our  com- 
missariat with  a  view  to  obviating  the  danger  of  scurvy 
and  other  ailments.     The  principle  on  which  I  acted  in 


till 


This  0.1,  by  means  of  a  specially  constructed  steam-jet  apparatus  was 
injected  mto  the  furnaces  in  the  form  of  a  f.ne  spray,  where  it  burned  in  a 
very  econom.cal  and  saving  manner,  giving  forth  a  great  amount  of  heat 
The  apparatus  was  one  which  has  been  apphed  to  locomotives  in  England 
whence  .t  was  procured.  It  appeared,  however,  that  it  tended  to  overhead 
the  bo.ler  at  one  particular  point,  where  it  made  a  den,  so  that  we  soon 
abandoned  this  method  of  firing. 


FREPARATIONS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


72 


the  choice  of  provisions  was  to  combine  variety  with 
wholesomeness.  Every  single  article  of  food  was  chem- 
ically analyzed  before  being  adopted,  and  great  care  was 
taken  that  it  should  be  properly  packed.  Such  articles, 
even,  as  bread,  dried  vegetables,  etc.,  etc.,  were  soldered 
down  in  tins  as  a  protection  against  damp. 

A  good  library  was  of  great  importance  to  an  expedi- 
tion like  ours,  and  thanks  to  publishers  and  friends,  both 
in  our  own  and  in  other  countries,  we  were  very  well  sup- 
plied in  this  respect. 

The  instruments  for  taking  scientific  observations  of 
course  formed  an  important  part  of  our  equipment,  and 
special  care  was  bestowed  upon  them.  In  addition  to 
the  collection  of  instruments  I  had  used  on  my  Green- 
land expedition,  a  great  many  new  ones  were  provided, 
and  no  pains  were  spared  to  get  them  as  good  and  com- 
plete as  possible.  For  meteorological  observations,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  ordinary  thermometers,  barometers,  ane- 
roids, psychrometers,  hygrometers,  anemometers,  etc., 
etc.,  self -registering  instruments  were  also  taken.  Of 
special  importance  were  a  self-registering  aneroid  barom- 
eter (barograph)  and  a  pair  of  self-registering  thermom- 
eters (thermographs).  For  astronomical  observations  we 
had  a  large  theodolite  and  two  smaller  ones,  intended 
for  use  on  sledge  expeditions,  together  with  several  sex- 
tants of  different  sizes.  We  had,  moreover,  four  ship's 
chronometers  and  several  pocket -chronometers.  For 
magnetic  observations,  for  taking  the  declination,  inch- 


«-V.'W.-(<-J^...^J 


■*  **i*  ;»^ui>4.  • , 


i 


i 


if 


74 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


nation,  and  intensity  (both  horizontal  and  total  intensity) 
we  had  a  complete  set  of  instruments.     Among  others 
may  be  mentioned  a  spectroscope  especially  adapted  for 
the  northern  lights,  an  electroscope  for  determining  the 
amount  of  electricity  in  the  air,  photographic  apparatus- 
es, of  which  we  had  seven,  large  and  small,  and  a  photo- 
graphometer  for  making  charts.     I  considered  a  pendu- 
lum  apparatus  with  its  adjuncts  to  be  of  special  impor- 
tance  to  enable  us  to  make  pendulum  experiments  in  the 
far  north.     To  do  this,  however,  land  was  necessary,  and. 
as  we  did  not  find  any,  this  instrument  unfortunately  did 
not  come  into  use.     For  hydrographic  observations  we 
took  a  full  equipment  of  water-samplers,  deep-water  ther- 
mometers,  etc.     To  ascertain  the  saltness  of  the  water,  we 
had,  in   addition   to  the  ordinary  areometers,  an  electric 
apparatus  specially  constructed  by  Mr.  Thornoe.     Alto- 
gether,  our  scientific  equipment  was  especially  excellent, 
thanks  in  great  measure  to  the  obliging  assistance  ren- 
dered me  by  many  men  of  science.     I  would  take  this 
opportunity  of  tendering  my  special  thanks  to  Professor 
Mohn,  who.  besides  seeing  to  the  meteorological  instru- 
ments, helped  me  in  many  other  ways  with  his  valuable 
advice;    to   Professor  Geelmuyden.  who  undertook   the 
supervision  of  the  astronomical  instruments;  to  Dr.  Neu- 
meyer,  of   Hamburg,  who   took  charge  of  the   magnetic 
equipment;   and  to  Professor  Otto  Petterson,  of  Stock- 
holm, and    Mr.   Thornoe,  of  Christiania,  both    of    whom 
superintended  the  hydrographic  department.     Of  no  less 


FREPARATIONS  AND   EQU/J'AfENT 


75 


importance  were  the  physiologico-medicinal  preparations, 
to  which  Professor  Toriip  devoted  particular  care. 

As  it  mifrht  be  of  the  utmost  importance  in  several 
contingencies  to  have  good  sledge-dogs,  I  applied  to  my 
friend,  Baron    Edward  von   Toll,  of  St.  Petersburg,  and 
asked  him  whether  it  was  possible  to  procure  serviceable 
animals  from  Siberia.*      With  great  courtesy  Von  Toll 
replied  that  he  thought  he  himself  could  arrange  this  for 
me,  as  he  was  just  on  the  point  of  undertaking  his  sec- 
ond scientific  expedition  to  Siberia  and  the  New  Siberian 
Islands.     He  proposed  to  send  the  dogs  to  Khabarova, 
on  Yugor  Strait.      On  his  journey  through  Tiumen  in 
January,   1893,  by   the    help    of    an    English    merchant 
named  Wardroper,  who  resided  there,  he  engaged  Alex- 
ander Ivanovitch  Trontheim  to  undertake  the  purchase 
of  thirty  Ostiak  dogs  and  their  conveyance  to  Yugor 
Strait.     But  Von  Toll  was   not  content  with  this.     Mr. 
Nikolai   Kelch  having  offered  to  bear  the  expense,  my 
friend  procured  the   East  Siberian  dogs,  which  are  ac- 
knowledged to    be  better  draught  dogs  than  those   of 
West    Siberia   (Ostiak   dogs),  and    Johan    Torgersen,  a 
Norwegian,  undertook  to  deliver  them  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Olenek,  where  it  was  arranged  that  we  should  touch. 
Von  Toll,  moreover,  thought  it  would  be  important  to 
establish  some  depots  of  provisions  on  the  New  Siberian 


*  I  had  thought  of  procuring  dogs  from  the  Eskimo  of  Greenland  and 
Hudson  Bay,  but  there  proved  to  be  insuperable  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
getting  them  conveyed  from  there. 


;6 


FARTHRST   NORTH 


Islands,  in  case  the  Fram  should  meet  with  disaster  and 
the  expedition  should  be  obliged  to  return   home  that 
way.      On  Von  Toll's   mentioning  this,  Kelch  at  once 
expressed  himself  willing  to  bear  the  cost,  as  he  wished 
us  in  that  event  to  meet  with  Siberian  hospitality  even 
on   the   New  Siberian    Islands.      As   it  was  difficult  to 
find   trustworthy  agents   to  carry  out  a  task   involving 
so  much  responsibility,  Von  Toll  determined  to  establish 
the  depots  himself,  and  in  May,  1893,  he  set  out  on  an 
adventurous   and  highly   interesting  journey   from    the 
mainland   over  the   ice    to   the    New  Siberian    Islands, 
where,  besides    laying   down  three   depots    for   us,*  he 
made  some  very  important  geological  researches. 

Another  important  matter,  I  thought,  was  to  have  a 
cargo  of  coal  seht  out  as  far  as  possible  on  our  route,  so 
that  when  we  broke  off  all  connection  with  the  rest 
of  the  world  we  should  have  on  board  the  Fram  as 
much  coal  as  she  could  carry.  I  therefore  joyfully  ac- 
cepted  an  ofTer  from  an  Englishman,  who  was  to  accom- 
pany us  with  his  steam-yacht  to  Novaya  Zemlya  or  the 


*  These  depots  were  arranged  most  carefully,  and  every  precaution  so 
well  taken  that  we  certainly  should  not  have  suflfered  from  famine  had  we 
gone  there.  In  the  northernmost  depot  at  Stan  Durnova  on  the  west 
coast  of  Kotelnoi,  at  75°  37'  N.  L.,  we  should  have  found  provisions  for  a 
week :  with  these  we  could  easily  have  made  our  way  65  miles  southward 
along  the  coast  to  the  second  depot  at  Urassalach.  where,  in  a  house  built 
by  Baron  Von  Toll  in  1886,  we  should  have  found  provisions  for  a  whole 
month.  Lastly,  a  third  depot  in  a  house  on  the  south  side  of  Little  Liak- 
hofT  Island,  with  provisions  for  two  months,  would  have  enabled  us  to 
reach  the  mainland  with  ease. 


%i^ 


h?^  »-^*  rt^-.. 


J'REl'ARATIONS  AND   EQUIPMENT  77 

Kara  Sea  and  give  us  100  tons  of  coal  on  parting  com- 
pany. As  our  dejjarture  was  drawing  nigh  I  learnt,  how- 
ever,  that  other  arrangements  had  been  made.  It  being 
now  too  late  to  take  any  other  measures,  I  chartered 
the  sloop  Urania,  of  Bronosund,  in  Nordland.  to  bring 
a  cargo  of  coals  to  Khabarova,  on  i  .e  Yugor  Strait. 

No  sooner  did  the  plan  of  my  expedition  become 
known  than  petitions  poured  in  by  the  hundred  from 
all  quarters  of  the  earth-from  Europe,  America,  Aus- 
tralia—from persons  who  wished  to  take  part  in  it,  in 
spite  of  the  many  warning  voices  that  had  been  raised. 
It  was  no  easy  thing  to  choose  among  all  the  brave  men 
who  applied.  As  a  matter  of  course,  it  was  absolutely 
essential  that  every  man  should  be  strong  and  healthy, 
and  not  one  was  finally  accepted  till  he  had  been  care^ 
fully  examined  by  Professor  Hialmar  Heiberg,  of  Chris- 
tiania. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  expe- 
dition : 

Oiio  Neumann  Sverdrup,  commander  of  the  Fram, 
was  born  in  Bindal,  in  Helgeland,  1855.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  went  to  sea,  passed  his  mate's  examination 
111  1878,  and  for  some  years  was  captain  of  a  ship.  In 
1888-89  he  took  part  in  the  Greenland  expedition.  As 
soon  as  he  heard  of  :he  plan  of  the  polar  expedition  he 
expressed  his  desire  to  accompany  it,  and  I  knew  that 
I  could  not  place  the  Fram  in  better  hands.  He  is 
married,  and  has  one  child. 


78 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


1.1     • 


l\ 


II 


Sigurd  Scott-HanscH,  first  lieutenant  in  the  navy,  un- 
dertook the  management  of  the  meteorological,  astro- 
nomical,  and  magnetic  observations.  He  was  born  in 
Christiania  in  1868.  After  passing  through  the  naval 
school  at  Horten,  he  became  an  oflRcer  in  1889,  and 
first  lieutenant  in  1892.  He  is  a  son  of  Andreas  Han- 
sen,  parish  priest  in  Christiania. 

Hmrik  Greve  Blessmg,  doctor  and  botanist  to  the 
expedition,  was  born  in  Drammen  in  1866,  where  his 
father  was  at  that  time  a  clergyman.  He  became  a 
student  in  1885,  and  graduated  in  medicine  in  the  spring 
of  1893.  ^     ^ 

Theodore  Claudius  Jacobsen,  mate  of  the  Fram,  was 
born  at  Tromso  in  1855,  where  his  father  was  a  ship's 
captain,  afterwards  harbor- master  and  head  pilot.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  sea,  and  passed  his  mate's 
examination  four  years  later.  He  spent  two  years  in 
New  Zealand,  and  from  18S6-90  he  went  on  voyages  to 
the  Arctic  Sea  as  skipper  of  a  Tromso  sloop.  He  is 
married,  and  has  one  child. 

Anton  Amundsen,  chief  engineer  of  the  Fram,  was 
born  at  Horten  in  1853.  In  1884  he  passed  his  tech- 
nical examination,  and  soon  afterwards  his  engineer's 
examination.  For  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  in  the 
navy,  where  he  attained  the  rank  of  chief  engineer.  He 
is  married,  and  has  six  children. 

Adolf  Juell,  steward  and  cook  of  the  Fram.  was  born 
in   the  parish   of  Skato,  near   Kragero,  in    i860.      His 


!; 


rREJARATJONS   AND  EQUIPMENT 


79 


father,  Cl.ius  Nielsen,  was  a  farmer  and  ship-owner.  In 
I.S79  he  passed  his  mates  examination,  and  has  been 
captain  of  a  ship  many  years.  He  is  married,  and  lias 
four  children. 

Lars  Pettcrsen,  second  engineer  of  the  Frani,  was 
born  in  i860,  at  Horre,  near  Landskrona,  in  Sweden,  of 
Norwegian  parents.  He  is  a  fully  qualified  smith  and 
machinist,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  in  the  Nor- 
wegian navy  for  several  years.  Is  married,  and  has 
children. 

Frcderik  Hjalmar  Johansen,  lieutenant  in  the  Re- 
serve, was  born  at  Skien  in  1867,  and  matriculated  at 
the  University  in  1886.  In  1891-92  he  went  to  the 
Military  School  and  became  a  supernumerary  officer. 
He  was  so  eager  to  take  part  in  the  expedition  that,  as 
no  other  post  could  be  found  for  him,  he  accepted  that 
of  stoker. 

PcUr  Leonard  Hcnriksen,  harpooner,  was  born  in 
Balsfjord,  near  Tromso,  in  1859.  From  childhood  he 
has  been  a  sailor,  and  from  fourteen  years  old  has  gone 
on  voyages  to  the  Arctic  Sea  as  harpooner  and  skipper. 
In  1888  he  was  shipwrecked  off  Novaya  Zemlya  in  the 
sloop  E7iighcdcnAxon\  Christiansund.  He  is  married, 
and  has  four  children. 

Bcrnhard  Nordahl  was  born  in  Christiania  in  1862. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  the  navy,  and  ad- 
vanced  to  be.  a  gunner.  Subsequently  he  has  done  a 
little  of  everything,  and,  among  other  things,  has  worked 


i 


ij 


80 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


fi 


as  an  electrical  engineer.  He  had  charge  of  the  dynamo 
and  electric  installation  on  board,  acted,  moreover,  as 
stoker,  and  for  a  time  assisted  in  the  meteorological  ob- 
servations.     He  is  married,  and  has  five  children. 

Ivar  Otto  Irgens  Mogstad  vas  born  at  Aure,  in 
Nordmore,  in  1856.  In  1877  passed  his  examination  as 
first  assistant,  and  from  1882  onward  was  one  of  the 
head  keepers  at  the  Gaustad  Lunatic  Asylum, 

Bemt  Bcntzen,  born  in  i860,  went  to  sea  for  several 
years.  In  1890  he  passed  his  mate's  examination,  since 
which  he  has  sailed  as  mate  in  several  voyages  to  the 
Arctic  Sea.  We  engaged  him  at  Tromso,  just  as  we 
were  starting.  It  was  8.30  when  he  came  on  board  to 
speak  to  me,  and  at  10  o'clock  the  Fram  set  sail. 


I  -i. 


^ 


iV, 


CHAPTER    III 


THF.    START 


"  So  travel  I  north  to  the  gloomy  abode 
That  the  sun  never  shines  on — 
There  is  no  day." 

It  was  midi.ummer  day.  A  dull,  gloomy  day;  and 
with  it  came  the  inevitable  leave-taking.  The  door  closed 
behind  me.  For  the  last  time  I  left  my  home  and  went 
alone  down  the  garden  to  the  beach,  where  the  Frmns 
little  petroleum  launch  pitilessly  awaited  me.  Behind 
me  lay  all  I  held  dear  in  life.  And  what  before  me.? 
How  many  years  would  pass  ere  I  should  see  it  all  again.? 
What  would  I  not  have  given  at  that  moment  to  be  able 
to  turn  back ;  but  up  at  the  window  little  Liv  was  sitting 
clapping  her  hands.  Happy  child,  little  do  you  know 
what  life  is  —  how  strangely  mingled  and  how  full  of 
change.  Like  an  arrow  the  little  boat  sped  over  Lysaker 
Bay,  bearing  me  on  the  first  stage  of  a  journey  on  which 
life  itself,  if  not  more,  was  staked. 

At  last  everything  was  in  readiness.  The  hour  had 
arrived  towards  which  the  persevering  labor  of  years 
had  been  incessantly  bent,  and  with  it  the  feeling  that, 
everything  being  provided  and  ccmpleted,  responsibility 


I    '    ! 


I' 


Ui 


If  . 


ff 


82 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


might  be  thrown  aside  and  the  weary  brain  at  last  find 
rest.     The  Fram  lies  yonder  at  Pepperviken,  impatiently 
panting  and   waiting  for   the    signal,  when    the   launch 
comes  puflfing  past  Dyna  and  runs  alongside.     The  deck 
is  closely  packed  with  people  come  to  bid  a  last  farewell, 
and  now  all  must  leave  the  ship.     Then  the  Fram  weighs 
anchor,  and,  heavily  laden  and  moving  slowly,  makes  the 
tour   of   the   little    creek.     The   quays   are    black   with 
crowds  of  people  waving  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs. 
But  silently  and  quietly  the    Fram  heads  tov/ards  the 
fjord,  steers  slowly  past   Bygdo  and   Dyna  out  on  her 
unknown  path,  while  little  nimble  craft,  steamers,  and 
pleasure-boats  swarm  around  her.      Peaceful  and  snuo- 
lay  the  villas  along  the  shore  behind  their  veils  of  foliage, 
just  as  they  ever  seemed  of  old.     Ah,  "fair  is  the  wood- 
land slope,  and  never  did  it  look  fairer!"     Lono-  lono- 
will  it  be  before  we  shall  plough  these  well-kno\/n  waters 
again. 

And  now  a  last  farewell  to  home.  Yonder  it  lies  on 
the  point  — the  fjord  sparkling  in  front,  pine  and  fir 
woods  around,  a  little  smiling  meadow- land  and  loner 
wood-clad  ridges  behind.  Through  the  glass  one  could 
descry  a  summer-clad  figure  by  the  bench  under  the  fir- 
tree.  ... 

It  was  the  darkest  hour  of  the  whole  journey. 

And  now  out  into  the  fjord.  It  was  rainy  weather, 
and  a  feeling  of  melancholy  seemed  to  brood  over  the 
familiar  landscape  with  all  its  memories. 


-\ 


THE  START 


83 


It  was  not  until  noon  next  day  (June  25th)  that  the 
Fram  glided  into  the  bay  by  Raekvik,  Archer's  ship- 
yard, near  Laurvik,  where  her  cradle  stood,  and  where 
many  a  golden  dream  had  been  dreamt  of  her  vic- 
torious career.  Here  we  were  to  take  the  two  loner- 
boats  on  board  and  have  them  set  up  on  their  davits, 
and  there  were  several  other  things  to  be  shipped.  It 
took  the  whole  day  and  a  good  part  of  the  next  before 
all  was  completed.  About  three  o'clock  on  the  26th  we 
bade  farewell  to  Raekvik  and  made  a  bend  into  Laurvik 
Bay,  in  order  to  stand  out  to  sea  by  Frederiksvccrn. 
Archer  himself  had  to  take  the  wheel  and  steer  his  child 
this  last  bit  before  leaving  the  ship.  And  then  came 
the  farewell  hand-shake ;  but  few  words  were  spoken,  and 
they  got  into  the  boat,  he,  my  brothers,  and  a  friend, 
while  the  Fram  glided  ahead  with  her  heavy  motion, 
and  the  bonds  that  united  us  were  severed.  It  was  sad 
and  strange  to  see  this  last  relic  of  home  in  that  little 
skiff  on  the  wide  blue  surface.  Anker's  cutter  behind, 
and  Laurvik  farther  in  the  distance.  I  almost  think  a 
tear  glittered  on  that  fine  old  face  as  he  stood  erect  in 
the  boat  and  shouted  a  farewell  to  us  and  to  the  Fram. 
Do  you  think  he  does  not  love  the  vessel?  That  he 
believes  in  her  I  know  well.  So  we  gave  him  the  first 
salute  from  the  Fram's  guns — a  worthier  inauguration 
they  could  not  well  have  had. 

Full  speed  ahead,  and  in  the  calm,  bright  summer 
weather,  while  the  setting  sun  shed  his  beams  over  the 


?H 


I'.i 


i 


^1 


i . 


84 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


W  1 


■I.   i. 


!  %  I  ".  i 


u\ 


land,  the  Fram  stood  out  towards  the  blue  sea,  to  set 
its  first  roll  in  the  long,  heaving  swell.  They  stood  up 
in  the  boat  and  watched  us  for  Ions. 

We    bore    along    the    coast    in    good    weather,  past 
Christiansand.     The  next  evening,  June   27th,  we  were 
off  the  Naze.     I  sat  up  and  chatted  with  Scott- Hansen 
till  late  in  the  night.     He  acted  as  captain  on  the  trip 
from  Christiania  to  Trondhjem,  where  Sverdrup  was  to 
join,  after  having  accompanied  his  family  to  Steenki^er. 
As  we  sat  there  in  the  chart-house  and  let  the  hours  slip 
by  while  we  pushed  on  in  the  ever-increasing  swell,  all  at 
once  a  sea  burst  open   the  door  and  poured  in.     We 
rushed  out  on  deck.     The  ship  rolled  like  a  log,  the  seas 
broke  in  over  the  rails  on  both  sides,  and  one  by  one  up 
came  all  the  crew.     I  feared  most  lest  the  slender  davits 
which  supported  the  long-boats  should  give  way,  and  the 
boats  themselves  should  go  overboard,  perhaps  carrying 
away  with  them  a  lot  of  the  rigging.     Then  twenty-five 
empty  paraffin  casks  which  were  lashed  on  deck  broke 
loose,  washed  backward  and  forward,  and  gradually  filled 
with   water;    so   that    the    outlook   was    not   altogether 
agreeable.     But  it  was  worst  of  all  when  the  piles  of 
reserve  timber,  spars,  and  planks  began  the  same  dance, 
and  threatened  to  break  the  props  under  the  boats.     It 
was  an  anxious  hour.     Sea-sick,  I  stood  on  the   bridge, 
occupying  myself  in  alternately  making  libations  to  Nep- 
tune and  trembling  for  the  safety  of  the  boats  and  the 
men,  who  were  trying  to  make  snug  what  they  could  for- 


I 

1 

I' 


I}' 


SIGl'KD    SCOTT-HANSEN 

{From  It  fliotograf-lt  titkeii  in  December,  ISflS) 


1! 


1 

'l'  j 

(1               ' 

;  |{ 

1 

:M 

j 


iy 


THE   START 


8; 


11 


ward  on  deck.     I  often  saw  only  a  hotch-potch  of  sea, 
drifting   planks,  arms,  legs,  and   empty  barrels.     Now  a 
green  sea  poured  over  us  and  knocked  a  man  off  his  legs 
so  that  the  water  deluged  him ;  now  I  saw  the  lads  jump- 
ing over  hurtling  spars  and  barrels,  so  as  not  to  get  their 
feet  crushed  between  them.     There  was  not  a  dry  thread 
on  them.     Juell,  who  lay  asleep  in  the  "  Grand  Hotel,"  as 
we  called  one  of  the  long-boats,  awoke  to  hear  the  sea 
roaring  under  him  like  a  cataract.     I  met  him  at  the 
cabin  door  as  he  came  running  down.     It  was  no  longer 
safe  there,  he  thought;  best  to  save  one's  rags— he  had  a 
bundle  under  his  arm.    Then  he  set  off  forward  to  secure 
his  sea-chest,  which  was  floating  about  on  the  fore-deck, 
and  dragged  it  hurriedly  aft,  while  one  heavy  sea  after 
another  swept  over   him.     Once  the  Fram  buried  her 
bows  and  shipped  a  sea  over  the  forecastle.     There  was 
one  fellow  clinging  to  the  anchor-davits  over  the  frothino- 
water.     It  was  poor  Juell  again.     We  were  hard  put  to  it 
to  secure  our  goods  and  chattels.     We  had  to  throw  all 
our  good  paraffin  casks  overboard,  and  one  prime  timber 
balk  after  another  went  the  same  way,  while  I  stood  and 
watched  them  sadly  as  they  floated  off.     The  rest  of  the 
deck  cargo  was  shifted  aft  on  to  the  half-deck.     I  am 
afraid  the  shares  in  the  expedition  stood  rather  low  at 
this  moment.     Then  all  at  once,  when  things  were  about 
at  their  worst  with  us,  we  sighted  a  bark  looming  out  of 
the  fog  ahead.     There  it  lay  with  royals  and  all  sails  set, 
as  snugly  and  peacefully  as  if  nothing  were  the  matter, 


88 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


iftH 


i 

rocking  gently  on  the  sea.  It  made  one  feel  almost  sav- 
age  to  look  at  it.  Visions  of  the  F/ym^  Diiichman  and 
other  devilry  flashed  through  my  mind. 

Terrible  disaster  in  the  cook's  galley!  Mogstad  goes 
in  and  sees  the  whole  wall  sprinkled  over  with  dark-red 
stains— rushes  off  to  Nordahl,  and  says  he  believes  Juell 
has  shot  himself  through  despair  at  the  insufferable  heat 
he  complains  so  about.  "Great  revolver  disaster  on 
board  the  Fram!  .  .  ."  On  close  inspection,  however, 
the  stains  appeared  to  proceed  from  a  box  of  chocolate 
that  had  upset  in  the  cupboard. 

Owing  to  the  fog  we  dared  not  go  too  near  land,  so 
kept  out  to  sea,  till  at  last,  towards  morning,  the  fog  lifted 
somewhat,  and  the  pilot  found  his  bearings  between  Far- 
sund  and   Hummerdus.    We  put  into    Lister   Fjord,  in- 
tending to  anchor  there  and  get  into   better  sea  trim; 
but  as  the  weather  improved  we  went  on   our  way.     It 
was  not  till  the  afternoon  that  we  steered  into  Ekersund, 
owing  to  thick  weather  and  a  stiff  breeze,  and  anchored  in 
Hovland's   Bay,  where  our  pilot,  Hovland,*  lived.     Next 
morning    the  boat  davits,  etc.,  were  put  in   good   work- 
ing order.     The  Fram,  however,  was  too  heavily  laden  to 
be  at  all  easy  in  a  seaway ;  but  this  we  could  not  alter. 
What  we  had  we   must   keep,  and  if  we  only  got  every- 


^  *  Both  Hovland.  who  piloted  us  from  Christiania  to  Hersen.and  Johan 
Hagensen,  who  took  us  from  Bergen  to  Vardo,  were  most  kindly  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  expedition  by  the  Nordenfjeldske  Steamship  Com- 
pany, of  Trondhjem. 


t 


■'I 

i 

^3H 

: 

( 


ADOLF   JUELL 

(From  a  />/iotogi;i/'k  taken  in  December,  tfi!),')) 


m> 


''  m  1 


p,  I 


V 

k 

'.  " ! 

j 

i' 


THE  START 


91 


thing  on  deck  shipshape  and  properly  lashed,  the  sea 
could  not  do  us  much  harm,  however  rough  it  mighl  '>e; 
for  we  knew  well  enough  that  ship  and  rigging  would 
hold  out. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  of  the  last  day  of  June 
when  we  rounded  Kvarven  and  stood  in  for  Bergen  in 
the  gloom  of  the  sullen  night.  Next  morning  when  I 
came  on  deck  Vagen  lay  clear  and  bright  in  the  sun, 
all  the  ships  being  gayly  decked  out  with  bunting  from 
topmost  to  deck.  The  sun  was  holding  high  festival  in 
the  sky — Ulriken,  Floiren,  and  Lovstakken  sparkled  and 
glittered,  and  greeted  me  as  of  old.  It  is  a  marvellous 
place,  that  old  Hanseatic  town ! 

In  the  evening  I  was  to  give  a  lecture,  but  arrived 
half  an  hour  too  late.  For  just  as  I  was  dressing  to  go 
a  number  of  bills  poured  in,  and  if  I  was  to  leave  the 
town  as  a  solvent  man  I  must  needs  pay  them,  and  so 
the  public  perforce  had  to  wait.  But  the  worst  of  it  was 
that  the  saloon  was  full  of  those  everlastingly  inquisitive 
tourists.  I  could  hear  a  whole  company  of  them  besieg- 
ing my  cabin  door  while  I  was  dressing,  declaring  "  they 
must  shake  hands  with  the  doctor!"*  One  of  them  act- 
ually peeped  in  through  the  ventilator  at  me,  my  secre- 
tary told  me  afterwards.  A  nice  sight  she  must  have 
seen,  the  lovely  creature !  Report  says  she  drew  her 
head  back  very  quickly.    Indeed,  at  every  place  where  we 


w 


i ' 


I 


*  English  in  the  original. 


92 


FARTHEST  A'OKTJt 


J   ' 


put  in  we  were  looked  on  somewhat  as  wild  animals  in  a 
menagerie.  I'^or  they  peeped  unceremoniously  at  us  in 
our  berths  as  if  we  had  been  bears  and  lions  in  a  <\c\\ 
and  we  could  hear  them  loudly  disputing  among  them- 
selves as  to  who  was  who,  and  whether  those  nearest  and 
dearest  to  us  whose  portraits  hung  on  the  walls  could  be 
called  pretty  or  not.  When  I  had  finished  my  toilette  I 
opened  the  door  cautiously  and  made  a  rush  through  the 
gaping  company.  "There  he  is — there  he  is!"*  they 
called  to  each  other  as  they  tumbled  uj)  the  steps  after 
me.  It  was  no  use;  I  was  on  the  quay  and  in  the  car- 
riage  long  before  they  had  reached  the  deck. 

At  8  o'clock  there  was  a  great  banquet,  many  fine 
speeches,  good  fare  and  excellent  wine,  pretty  ladies, 
music,  and  dancing  till  far  into  the  night. 

Next  morning  at  ii  o'clock  — it  was  Sunday  — in 
bright,  sunshiny  weather, we  stood  northward  over  Ikrgen 
Fjord,  many  friends  accompanying  us.  It  was  a  lovely, 
never-to-be-forgotten  summer  day.  In  Herlo  I*"jord,  right 
out  by  the  skerries,  they  parted  from  us,  amid  waxings  of 
hats  and  pocket-handkerchiefs  ;  we  could  see  the  little 
harbor  boat  for  a  long  while  with  its  black  cloud  of  smoke 
on  the  sparkling  surface  of  the  water.  Outside,  the  sea 
rolled  in  the  hazy  sunlight ;  and  within  lay  the  flat  Man- 
gerland,  full  of  memories  for  me  of  zoological  investiga- 
tions in  fair  weather  and  foul,  years  and  years  ago.     Here 

*  Englisli  in  the  original. 


\   > 


r 
w 
> 
< 

o 

w 

m 

5d 
O 
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1 

i 


-  *■  w  .%i  fth*.,.  1  -.1  t  *■ 


w 


w 


o 

td 

m 

5d 
O 
W 


■It 


w  ' 


f 


THE   START 


95 


it  was  that  one  of  Norway's  most  famous  naturalists,  a 
lonely  pastor  far  removed  from  the  outer  world,  made  his 
great  discoveries.  Here  I  myself  first  groped  my  way 
along  the  narrow  path  of  zoological  research. 

It  was  a  wondrous  evening.  The  lingering  flush  of 
vanished  day  suffused  the  northern  sky,  while  the  moon 
hung  large  and  round  over  the  mountains  behind  us. 
Ahead  lay  Alden  and  Kinn,  like  a  fairyland  rising  up 
from  the  sea.  Tired  as  I  was,  I  could  not  seek  my  berth  ; 
I  must  drink  in  all  this  loveliness  in  deep  refreshing 
draughts.  It  was  like  balm  to  the  soul  after  all  the  tur- 
moil and  friction  with  crowds  of  strangers. 

So  we  went  on  our  way,  mostly  in  fair  weather,  occa- 
sionally in  fog  and  rain,  through  sounds  and  between 
islands,  northward  along  the  cost  of  Norway.  A  o-lorious 
land — I  wonder  if  another  fairway  like  this  is  to  be  found 
the  whole  world  over.^  Those  never-to-be-forgotten 
mornings,  when  nature  wakens  to  life,  wreaths  of  mist 
glittering  like  silver  over  the  mountains,  their  tops  soar- 
ing above  the  mist  like  islands  of  the  sea !  Then  the  day 
gleaming  over  the  dazzling  white  snow-peaks !  And  the 
evenings,  and  the  sunsets  with  the  pale  moon  overhead, 
white  mountains  and  islands  lay  hushed  and  dreamlike  as 
a  youthful  longing !  Here  and  there  past  homely  little 
havens  with  houses  around  them  set  in  smilino-  o-reen 
trees !  Ah !  those  snug  homes  in  the  lee  of  the  skerries 
awake  a  longing  for  life  and  warmth  in  the  breast.  You 
may  shrug  your  shoulders  as  much  as  you  like  at  the 


'(h 


\f 


ir    ( 


l%l 


W 


11 

i: 


96 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


beauties  of  nature,  but  it  is  a  fine  thing  for  a  people  to 
have  a  fair  land,  be  it  never  so  poor.  Never  did  this  seem 
clearer  to  me  than  now  when  I  was  leaving  it. 

Every  now  and  then  a  hurrah  from  land  —  at  one 
time  from  a  troop  of  children,  at  another  from  srown- 
up  people,  but  mostly  from  wondering  peasants  who 
gaze  long  at  the  strange-looking  ship  and  muse  over  its 
enigmatic  destination.  And  men  and  women  on  board 
sloops  and  ten-oared  boats  stand  up  in  their  red  shirts 
that  glow  in  the  sunlight,  and  rest  on  their  oars  to  look 
at  us.  Steamboats  crowded  with  people  came  out  from 
the  towns  we  passed  to  greet  us,  and  bid  us  God-speed 
on  our  way  with  music,  songs,  and  cannon  salutes.  The 
great  tourist  steamboats  dipped  flags  to  us  and  fired 
salutes,  and  the  smaller  craft  did  the  same.  It  is  em- 
barrassing and  oppressive  to  be  the  object  of  homage 
like  this  before  anything  has  been  accomplished.  There 
is  an  old  saying : 


M  ■ 


it 


:1  ., 


"At  eve  the  day  shall  be  praised, 
The  wife  when  she  is  burnt, 
The  sword  when  tried. 
The  woman  when  married, 
The  ice  when  passed  over. 
Ale  when  drunk." 

Most  touching  was  the  interest  and  sympathy  with  which 
these  poor  fisher-folk  and  peasants  greeted  us.  It  often 
set  me  wondering.  I  felt  they  followed  us  with  fervent 
eagerness.  I  remember  one  day— it  was  north  in  Hel- 
geland — an  old  woman  was  standing  waving  and  waving 


nil  \ 


THE  START 


97 


to  us  on  a  bare  crag.  Her  cottage  lay  some  distance 
inland.  "  I  wonder  if  it  can  really  be  us  she  is  wav- 
ing to,"  I  said  to  the  pilot,  who  was  standing  beside 
me.  "  You  may  be  sure  it  is,"  was  the  answer.  "  But 
how  can  she  know  who  we  are .?"  "  Oh  !  they  know  all 
about  the  Fram  up  here,  in  every  cabin,  and  they  will 
be  on  the  lookout  for  you  as  you  come  back,  I  can  tell 
you,"  he  answered.  Aye,  truly,  it  is  a  responsible  task 
we  are  undertaking,  when  the  whole  nation  are  with  us 
like  this.  What  if  the  thing  should  turn  out  a  huse 
disappointment ! 

In  the  evening  I  would  sit  and  look  around  —  lonely 
huts  lay  scattered  here  and  there  on  points  and  islets. 
Here  the  Norwegian  people  wear  out  their  lives  in  the 
struggle  with  the  rocks,  in  the  struggle  with  the  sea ; 
and  it  is  this  people  that  is  sending  us  out  into  the  great 
hazardous  unknown;  the  very  folk  who  stand  there  in 
their  fishing-boats  and  look  wonderingly  after  the  Fj'am 
as  she  slow.y  and  heavily  steams  along  on  her  northward 
course.  Many  of  them  wave  their  sou'-westers  and  shout 
"  Hurrah !"  Others  have  barely  time  to  gape  at  us  in 
wonderment.  In  on  the  point  are  a  troop  of  women  wav- 
ing and  shouting;  outside  a  few  boats  with  ladies  in  light 
summer-dresses,  and  gentlemen  at  the  oars  entertaining 
them  with  small-talk  as  they  wave  their  parasols  and 
pocket-handkerchiefs.  Yes;  it  is  they  who  are  sending 
us  out.  It  is  not  a  cheering  thought.  Not  one  of  them, 
probably,  knows  what  they  are  paying  their  money  for. 


W'  ci» 


98 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


U: 


Maybe  they  have  heard  it  is  a  glorious  enterprise ;    but 
why?      To   what   end?     Are  we  not  defraudincr  them? 
But  their  eyes  are  riveted  on  the  ship,  and  perhaps  there 
dawns  before  their  minds  a  momentary  vision  of  a  new 
and   inconceivable  world,  with   aspirations  after  a  some- 
thing  of  which  they  know  naught.  .  .   .  And  here  on 
board  are  men  who  are  leaving  wife  and  children  behind 
them.     How  sad  has  been  the  separation !  what  lono-ino- 
what  yearning,  await  them  in  the  coming  years !.    And  it 
is  not  for  profit  they  do  it.     For  honor  and  glory  then  ? 
These  may  be  scant  enough.     It  is  the  same  thirst  for 
achievement,  the  same  craving  to  get  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  known,  which  inspired   this  people  in   the  Sacra 
times  that  is  stirring  in  them  c^gain  to-day.     In  spite  of 
all  our  toil  for  subsistence,  in  spite  of  all  our  "  peasant 
politics,"  sheer  utilitarianism  is  perhaps  not  so  dominant 
among  us,  after  all. 

As  time  was  precious  I  did  not,  as  originally  intended, 
put  in  at  7>ondhjem,  but  stopped  at  Beian,  where  Sver- 
drup  joined  us.  Here  Professor  Brogger  also  came  on 
board,  to  accompany  us  as  far  as  Tromsb. 

Here,  too,  our  doctor  received  three  monstrous  chests 
with  the  medicine  supply,  a  gift  from  Apothecary  Bruun, 
of  Trondhjem. 

And  so  on  towards  the  north,  along  the  lovely  coast 
of  Nordland.  We  stopped  at  one  or  two  j^laces  to  take 
dried  fish  on  board  as  provision  for  the  dogs.  Past 
Torghatten,  the   Seven   Sisters,  and   Hestemanden ;  past 


SI 

,^1 


OTTO    SVEKDRUP 

'From  a  filiotograpli  taken  in  isnS) 


I 


Kf  y 


M?    'V 


M        I 


THE   START 


lOI 


Lovunen  and  Traenen,  far  out  yonder  in  the  sea ;  past 
Lofoten  and  all  the  other  lovely  places — each  bold  gigan- 
tic form  wilder  and  more  beautiful  than  the  'last.  It  is 
unique — a  fairyland — a  land  of  dreams.  We  felt  afraid 
to  go  on  too  fast,  for  fear  of  missing  something. 

On  July  1 2th  we  arrived  at  Tromso,  where  we  were  to 
take  in  coal  and  other  things,  such  as  reindeer  cloaks, 
"  komager "  ( a  sort  of  Lapp  moccasin ),  Finn  shoes, 
"  senne  "  grass,  dried  reindeer  flesh,  etc.,  etc.,  all  of  which 
had  been  procured  by  that  indefatigable  friend  of  the  ex- 
pedition, Advocate  Mack.  Tromso  gave  us  a  cold  recep- 
tion— a  northwesterly  gale,  with  driving  snow  and  sleet. 
Mountains,  plains,  and  house-roofs  were  all  covered  with 
snow  down  to  the  water's  edge.  It  was  the  very  bitter- 
est July  day  I  ever  experienced.  The  people  there  said 
they  could  not  remember  such  a  July.  Perhaps  they 
were  afraid  the  place  would  come  into  disrepute,  for  in 
a  town  where  they  hold  snow-shoe  races  on  Midsummer 
Day  one  may  be  prepared  for  anything  in  the  way  of 
weather. 

In  Tromso  the  next  day  a  new  member  of  the  expe- 
dition was  engaged,  '^eint  Bentzen  —  a  stout  fellow  to 
look  at.  He  originally  intended  accompanying  us  only 
as  far  as  Yugor  Strait,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  he  went 
the  whole  voyage  with  us,  and  proved  a  great  acquisi- 
tion, being  not  only  a  capital  seaman,  but  a  cheerful  and 
amusing  comrade. 

After  a  stay  of  two  days  we  again  set  out.     On  the 


'i  ( 


102 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


t  '-■ 


k     I 


nio-ht  of  the  1 6th,  east  „f  the  North  Cape  or  IMagero,  we 
met  with  such  a  nasty  sea,  and  shipped  so  much  water 
on  deck,  that  we  put  into  Kjcillefjord  to  adjust  our  cargo 
better  by   shifting    the   coal    and    making  a   few    othtr 
changes.     We  worked  at  this  the  whole  of  two  days,  and 
made  everything  clear  for  the  voyage  to  Novaya  Zemlya. 
I  iiad  at  first  thought  of  taking  on  board  a  fresh  supply 
of  coal  at  Vardo,  but  as  we  were  already  deeply  laden, 
and  the   Urania  was  to  meet  us   at  Yugor  Strait  with 
coal,  we  thought  it  best  to  be  contented  with  what  we 
had  already  got  on  board,  as  we  might  expect  bad  weath- 
er in  crossing  the  White  Sea  and  Barents  Sea.     At  ten 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  weighed  anchor,  and  reached 
Vardo  next  evening,  where  we  met  with  a  magnificent 
reception.     There  was  a  band  of  music  on  the  pier,  the 
fjord  teemed  with  boats,  fiags  waved  on  every  hand,  and 
salutes  were  fired.     The  people  had  been  waiting  for  us 
ever  since  the  previous  evening,  we  were  told— some  of 
them,  indeed,  coming  from  Vadso— and  they  had  seized 
the  opportunity  to  get  up  a  subscription  to  provide  a  big 
drum  for  the  town  band,  the  "  North  Pole."     And  here 
we    were    entertained    at    a    sumptuous    banquet,   with 
speeches,  and    champagne    flowing   in   streams,  ere   we 
bade  Norway  our  last  farewell. 

The  last  thing  that  had  now  to  be  done  for  the  Frnm 
was  to  have  her  bottom  cleaned  of  mussels  and  weeds, 
so  that  she  might  be  able  to  make  the  best  speed  possi- 
ble.    This  work  was  done  by  divers,  who  were   readily 


ill' 


THE   START 


103 


placci    at  our  service  by  the  local  inspector  of  the  Gov- 
ernment Harbor  Department. 

But  our  own  bodies  also  claimed  one  last  civilized 
feast  of  purification  before  entering  on  a  life  of  savagery. 
The  bath-house  of  the  town  is  a  small  timber  building. 
The  bath-room  itself  is  low,  and  provided  with  shelves 
where  you  lie  down  and  arc  parboiled  with  hot  steam, 
which  is  constantly  kept  up  by  water  being  thrown  on 
the  glowing  hot  stones  of  an  awful  oven,  worthy  of  hell 
itself;  while  all  the  time  young  qucLMi  (lasses)  flog  you 
with  birch  twigs.  After  that  you  are  rubbed  down, 
washed,  and  dried  delightfully  —  everything  being  well 
managed,  clean,  and  comfortable.  I  wonder  whether  old 
Father  Mahomet  has  set  up  a  bath  like  this  in  his  para- 
dise. 


ff'' 


'r-^' 


'    H 


H 


..  .  :       i        i 


CHAPTER    IV 


FAREWELL    TO    NORWAY 


I  FELT  in  a  strange  mood  as  I  sat  up  the  last  night 
writing  letters  and  telegrams.  We  had  bidden  farewell 
to  our  excellent  pilot,  Johan  Hagensen,  who  had  piloted 
us  from  Bergen,  and  now  we  were  only  the  thirteen 
members  of  the  expedition,  together  with  my  secretary, 
Christofersen,  who  had  accompanied  us  so  far,  and  was 
to  go  on  with  us  as  far  as  Yugor  Strait.  Everything 
was  so  calm  and  still,  save  for  the  scraping  of  the  pen 
that  was  sending  off  a  farewell  to  friends  at  home. 
All  the  men  were  asleep  below. 

The  last  telegram  was  written,  and  I  sent  my  secie- 
tary  ashore  with  it.  It  was  3  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  he  returned,  and  I  called  Sverdrup  up,  and  one  or 
two  others.  We  weighed  anchor,  and  stood  out  of  the 
harbor  in  the  silence  of  the  morning.  The  town  still 
lay  wrapped  in  sleep;  everything  looked  so  peaceful  and 
lovely  all  around,  with  the  exception  of  a  little  stir  of 
awakening  toil  on  board  one  single  steamer  in  the  har- 
bor. A  sleepy  fisherman  stuck  his  head  up  out  of  the 
half-deck  of  his  ten-oared  boat,  ^nd  stared  at  us  as  we 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


105 


Steamed  past  the  breakwater;  and  011  the  revenue  cutter 
outside  there  was  a  man  fishing  in  that  early  mornin"- 
light. 

This  last  impression  of  Norway  was  just  the  right  one 
for  us  to  carry  away  with  us.  Such  beneficent  peace 
and  calm ;  such  a  rest  for  the  thoughts ;  no  hubbub  and 
turmoil  of  people  with  their  hurrahs  and  salutes.  The 
masts  in  the  harbor,  the  house-roofs,  and  chimneys  stood 
out  against  the  ccol  morning  sky.     Just  then  the  sun 

broke   through   the    mist  and  smiled   over  the  shore 

rugged,  bare,  and  weather-worn  in  the  hi.zy  morning, 
but  still  lovely— dotted  here  and  there  with  tiny  houses 
and  boats,  and  all  Norway  lay  behind  it.  .  .  . 

While  the  Fram  was  slowly  and  quietly  v/orking  her 
way  out  to  sea,  towards  our  distant  goal,  I  stood  and 
watched  the  land  gradually  fading  away  on  the  horizon. 
I  wonder  what  will  happen  to  her  and  to  us  before  we 
again  see  Norway  rising  up  over  the  sea } 

But  a  fog  soon  came  on  and  obscured  everything. 

And  through  fog,  nothing  but  fog,  we  steamed  away 
for  four  days  without  stopping,  until,  when  I  came  on 
deck  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  July,  behold  clear 
weather !  The  sun  was  shining  in  a  cloudless  sky,  the 
bright  blue  sea  was  heaving  with  a  gentle  swell.  Again 
it  was  good  to  be  a  living  being,  and  to  drink  in  the  peace- 
fulness  of  the  sea  in  long  draughts.  Towards  noon  we 
sighted  Goose  Land  on  Novaya  Zemlya,  and  stood  in 
towards  it.     Guns  and  cartridges  were  got  ready,  and  we 


I- 'I 


H*^  I 


io6 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


looked  forward  with  joyful  anticipation  to  roast  goose  and 
other  game ;  but  we  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when 
tlie  gray    woolly    fog   from    the  southeast  came  up  and 
enveloped  us.     Again  we  were  shut  off  from  the  world 
around  us.      It  was  scarcely  prudent  to  make  for  land, 
so  we  set  our  course  eastward   towards   Yugor  Strait; 
but  a  head -wind  soon  compelled   us  to   beat   uj)   under 
steam   and   sail,  which   we   went  on  doing  for  a  couple 
of  days,  plunged  in  a  world  of  fog.     Ugh !    that  endless, 
stubborn   fog   of  the   Arctic  Sea!     When  it   lowers  its 
curtain,  and  shuts  out  the  blue  above  and  the  blue  below, 
and  everything  becomes  a  damp  gray  mist,  day  in  and 
day  out,  then  all  the  vigor  and  elasticity  of  the  soul  is 
needed    to   save    one    from   being  stifled  in  its  clammy 
embrace.     Fog,  and  nothing  but  fog,  wherever  we  turn 
our  eyes.     It  condenses  on  the  rigging  and  drips  down 
on  every  tiniest  spot  on  deck.      It  lodges  on  your  clothes, 
and   finally  wets   you   through   and   through.     It  settles 
down  on  the  mind  and  spirits,  and  everything  becomes 
one  uniform  gray. 

On  the  evening  of  July  27th,  while  still  fog-bound,  we 
quite  unexpectedly  met  with  ice;  a  mere  strip,  indeed, 
which  we  easily  passed  through,  but  it  boded  ill.  In 
the  night  we  met  with  more — a  broader  strip  this  time, 
which  also  we  passed  through.  Hut  next  morning  I  was 
called  up  with  the  information  that  there  was  thick,  old 
ice  ahead.  Well,  if  ice  difficulties  were  to  begin  so  soon, 
it  would  be  a  bad  lookout  indeed.     Such  are  the  chill 


i     f  I 


in 


^    ^ 
%    S 


?     C 


Oc 


it 

~  ^9 

n 

Hi 

FAREWELL    TO   NORWAY 


109 


surprises  that  the  Arctic  Sea  has  more  than  enough  of. 
I  dressed  and  was  up  in  the  crow's-nest  in  a  twinkhng. 
The  ice  lay  extended  everywhere,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  through  the  fog,  which  had  lifted  a  little.  There 
was  no  small  quantity  of  ice,  but  it  was  tolerably  open, 
and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  be  true  to  our  watch- 
word and  "ga  fram" — push  onward.  For  a.  good  while 
we  picked  our  way.  But  now  it  began  to  lie  closer,  with 
large  floes  every  here  and  there,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  fog  grew  denser,  and  we  could  not  see  our  way  at 
all.  To  go  ahead  in  difficult  ice  and  in  a  fog  is  not  very 
prudent,  for  it  is  impossible  to  tell  just  where  you  are 
going,  and  you  are  apt  to  be  set  fast  before  you  know 
where  you  are.  So  we  had  to  stop  and  wait.  But  still 
the  fog  grew  ever  denser,  while  the  ice  did  the  same. 
Our  hopes  meanwhile  rose  and  fell,  but  mostly  the  latter, 
I  think.  To  encounter  so  much  ice  already  in  these 
waters,  where  at  this  time  of  year  the  sea  is,  as  a  rule, 
quite  free  from  it,  boded  anything  but  good.  Already 
at  Tromso  and  Vardo  we  had  heard  bad  news ;  the 
White  Sea,  they  said,  had  only  been  clear  of  ice  a  very 
short  time,  and  a  boat  that  had  tried  to  reach  Yusfor 
Strait  had  had  to  turn  back  because  of  the  ice.  Neither 
were  our  anticipations  of  the  Kara  Sea  altogether  cheer- 
ful. What  might  we  not  expect  there  }  For  the  Urania^ 
with  our  coals,  too,  this  ice  was  a  bad  business;  for  it  would 
be  unable  to  make  its  way  through  unless  it  had  found 
navigable  water  farther  south  along  the  Russian  coast. 


i 


t/1i 


i 


■t  t 


^1  I 


no 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


Just  as  our  prospects  were  at  their  darkest,  and  we 
were  preparing  to  seek  a  way  back  out  of  the  ice,  which 
kept  getting  ever  denser,  the  joyful   tidings  came   that 
the   fog  was    lifting,  and    that   clear   water   was   visible 
ahead  to  the  east  on   the  other  side  of  the   ice.     After 
forcing   our   way  ahead   for    some    hours    between    the 
heavy  floes,  we  were  once   more   in   open  water.     This 
first  bout  with  the  ice,  however,  showed  us  plainly  what 
an   excellent  ice-boat  the  Fram  was.      It  was    a   royal 
pleasure  to  work  her  ahead  through  difficult  ice.     She 
twisted    and    turned    "like    a   ball    on    a   platter."      No 
channel    between    the    floes    so    winding   and    awkward 
but   she   could   get  through    it.     But   it    is    hard   work 
for    the    helmsman.      "  Hard    asfarboard !     Hard    aport ! 
Steady!     Hard    astarboard    again!"  goes  on  incessantly 
without  so  much  as  a  breathing-space.     And  he  rattles 
the  wheel   round,  the  sweat  pours  off  him,  and  round 
it   goes    again    like  a   spinning-wheel.      And    the    ship 
swings  round  and  wriggles  her  way  forward  among  the 
floes  without   touching,  if  there   is  only   just   an   open- 
ing wide   enough   for  her  to  slip   through  ;    and  where 
there    is    none    she    drives    full    tilt    at    the    ice,    with 
her   heavy   plunge,   runs    her   sloping    bows    up    on    it, 
treads    it    under    her,    and    bursts    the    floes    asunder. 
And    how    strong    she    is    too!     Even    when   she    o-ocs 
full  speed  at  a  floe,  not  a  creak,  not  a  sound,  is  to   be 
heard   in   her;    if  she  gives   a  little  shake  it  is  all  she 
does. 


%i^ 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


III 


On  Saturday,  July  29th,  we  again  headed  eastward 
towards  Yugor  Strait  as  fast  as  sails  and  steam  could 
take  us.  We  had  open  sea  ahead,  the  weather  was  fine 
and  the  wind  fair.  Next  morning  we  came  under  the 
south  side  of  Dolgoi  or  Langoia,  as  the  Norwegian 
whalers  call  it,  where  we  had  to  stand  to  the  northward. 
On  reaching  the  north  of  the  island  we  again  bore  east- 
ward. Here  I  descried  from  the  crow's-nest,  as  far  as  I 
could  make  out,  several  islands  which  are  not  given  on 
the  charts.     They  lay  a  little  to  the  east  of  Langoia. 

It  was  now  pretty  clear  that  the  Urania  had  not  made 
her  way  through  the  ice.  While  we  were  sitting  in  the 
saloon  in  the  forenoon,  talking  about  it,  a  cry  was  heard 
from  deck  that  the  sloop  was  in  sight.  It  was  joyful 
news,  but  the  joy  was  of  no  long  duration.  The  next 
moment  we  heard  she  had  a  crow's-nest  on  her  mast,  so 
she  was  doubtless  a  sealer.  When  she  sighted  us  she 
bore  off  to  the  south,  probably  fearing  that  we  were  a 
Russian  war-ship  or  something  equally  bad.  So,  as  we 
had  no  particular  interest  in  her,  we  let  her  go  on  her 
way  in  peace. 

Later  in  the  day  we  neared  Yugor  Strait.  We  kept 
a  sharp  lookout  for  land  ahead,  but  none  could  be  seen. 
Hour  after  hour  passed  as  we  glided  onward  at  good 
speed,  but  still  no  land.  Certainlv  it  would  not  be  hio-h 
land,  but  nevertheless  this  was  strange.  Yes — there  it 
lies,  like  a  low  shadow  over  the  horizon,  on  the  port  bow. 
It  is  land — it  is  Vaigats  Island.     Soon  we  sight  more  of 


ivi' 


I 


u  ^ 


m 


I 


112 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


it— abaft  the  beam;  then,  too,  the  mainland  on  the  south 
side  of  the  strait.     More  and  more  of  it 


comes  in  sit^ht — 


it  increases  rapidly.  All  low  and  level  land,  no  hei<dits. 
no  variety,  no  apparent  opening  for  the  strait  ahead. 
Thence  it  stretches  away  to  the  north  and  south  in  a  soft 
low  curve.  This  is  the  threshold  of  Asia's  boundless 
plains,  so  different  from  all  we  have  been  used  to. 

We  now  glided  into  the  strait,  with  its  low  rocky 
shores  on  either  side.  The  strata  of  the  rocks  lie  end- 
ways, and  are  crumpled  and  broken,  but  on  the  surface 
everything  is  level  and  smooth.  No  one  who  travels 
over  the  flat  green  plains  and  tundras  would  have  any 
idea  of  the  mysteries  and  upheavals  that  lie  hidden 
beneath  the  sward.  Here  once  upon  a  time  were 
mountains  and  valleys,  now  all  worn  away  and  washed 
out. 

We  looked  out  for  Khabarova.  On  the  north  side  of 
the  sound  there  was  a  mark;  a  shipwrecked  sloop  lay 
on  the  shore ;  it  was  a  Norwegian  sealer.  The  wreck  of 
a  smaller  vessel  lay  by  its  side.  On  the  south  side  was 
a  tlag-staff.  and  on  it  a  red  flag ;  Khabarova  must  then 
lie  behind  it.  At  last  one  or  two  buildings  or  shanties 
ai)j)eared  behind  a  promontory,  and  soon  the  whole  place 
lay  exposed  to  view,  consisting  of  tents  and  a  few  houses. 
On  a  little  jutting-out  point  close  by  us  was  a  lar«e  red 
building,  with  white  door-frames,  of  a  very  homelike 
api)earance.  It  w...^  indeed  a  Norwegian  warehouse 
which  Sibiriakoff  had  imported  from   Finmarken.      But 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


"3 


here  the  water  was  shallow,  and  we  had  to  proceed  care- 
fully for  fear  of  running  aground.  We  kept  heaving 
the  lead  incessantly' — we  had  5  fathoms  of  water,  and 
then  4,  then  not  much  more  than  we  needed,  and  then  it 
shelved  to  a  little  over  3  fathoms.  This  was  rather  too 
close  work,  so  we  stood  out  again  a  bit  to  wait  till  we 
got  a  little  nearer  the  place  before  drawing  in  to  the 
shore. 

A  boat  was  now  seen  slowly  approaching  from  the 
land.  A  man  of  middle  height,  with  an  open,  kindly  face 
and  reddish  beard,  came  on  board.  He  might  have  been 
a  Norwegian  from  his  appearance.  I  went  to  meet  him, 
and  asked  him  in  German  if  he  was  Trontheim.  Yes,  he 
was.  After  him  there  came  a  number  of  stranire  fiirures 
clad  in  heavy  robes  of  reindeer  -  skin,  which  nearly 
touched  the  deck.  Ou  l.ich-  heads  they  wore  peculiar 
"bashlyk"-like  caps  of  reincalf  -  skin,  beneath  which 
strongly  marked  bearded  faces  showed  forth,  such  as 
might  well  have  belonged  to  old  Norwecrian  Vikinos. 
The  whole  scene,  indeed,  called  up  in  my  mind  a  pict- 
ure of  the  Viking  Age,  of  expeditions  to  Gardarike  and 
Bjarmeland.  They  were  fine,  stalwart- looking  fellows, 
these  Russian  traders,  who  barter  with  the  natives,  givino- 
them  brandy  in  exchange  for  bearskins,  sealskins,  and 
other  valuables,  and  who,  when  once  they  have  a  hold  on  a 
man,  keep  him  in  such  a  state  of  dependence  that  he  can 
scarcely  call  his  soul  his  own.  "  Es  ist  eine  alte  Ge- 
schichte,  doch    wird    sie    immer    neu."      Soon,   too,    the 


114 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


1^ 


Samoyedes  came  flocking  on  board,  pleasant -featured 
people  of  the  broad  Asiatic  type.  Of  course  it  was  only 
the  men  who  came. 

The  first  question  I  asked  Trontheim  was  about  the 
ice.  He  replied  that  Yugor  Strait  had  been  open  a 
long  while,  and  that  he  had  been  expecting  our  arrival 
every  day  since  then  with  ever-increasing  anxiety.  The 
natives  and  the  Russians  had  begun  to  jeer  at  him  as 
time  went  on,  and  no  Fram  was  to  be  seen ;  but  now  he 
had  his  revenge  and  was  all  sunshine.  He  thought  the 
state  of  the  ice  in  the  Kara  Sea  would  be  favorable ; 
some  Samoyedes  had  said  so,  who  had  been  seal-hunting 
near  the  eastern  entrance  of  the  Strait  a  day  or  two  pre- 
viously. This  was  not  very  much  to  build  upon,  certainly, 
but  still  sufficient  to  make  us  regret  that  we  had  not  got 
there  before.  Then  we  spoke  of  the  Urania,  of  which 
no  one,  of  course,  had  seen  anything.  No  ship  had  put 
in  there  for  some  time,  except  the  sealing  sloop  we  had 
passed  in  the  morning. 

Next  we  inquired  about  the  dogs,  and  learned  that 
everything  was  all  right  with  them.  To  make  sure, 
Trontheim  had  purchased  forty  dogs,  though  I  had  only 
asked  for  thirty.  Five  of  these,  from  various  mishaps, 
had  died  during  their  journey — one  had  been  bitten  to 
death,  two  had  got  hung  fast  and  had  been  strangled 
while  passing  through  a  forest,  etc.,  etc.  One,  more- 
over, had  been  taken  ill  a  few  days  before,  and  was 
still  on  the  sick  list;  but  the  remaining  thirty-four  were 


■■| ;  :i 


FAREWELL    TO   NORWAY 


115 


in  good  condition:  we  could  hear  them  howling  and 
barking.  During  this  conversation  we  had  come  as 
near  to  Khabarova  as  we  dared  venture,  and  at  seven 
in  the  evening  cast  anchor  in  about  3  fathoms  of  water. 

Over  the  supper-table  Trontheim  told  us  his  advent- 
ures.    On  the  way  from  Sopva  and  Ural  to  the  Pechora 
he  heard  that  there  was  a  dog  epidemic  in  that  locality ; 
consequently  he  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  go  to  the 
Pechora  as  he  had  intended,  but  laid  his  course  instead 
direct  from  Ural  to  Yugor  Strait.     Towards  the  end  of 
the  journey  the  snow  had  disappeared,  and,  in  company 
with  a  reindeer  caravan,  he  drove  on  with  his  dogs  over 
the    bare   plain,  stocks   and   stones    and    all,  usincr    the 
sledges  none  the  less.     The  Samoyedes  and  natives  of 
Northern    Siberia  have  no  vehicles   but    sledges.     The 
summer   sledge    is    somewhat    higher    than    the  winter 
sledge,  in  order  that  it  may  not  hang  fast  upon  stones 
and   stumps.     As   may    be   supposed,  however,  summer 
sledging  is  anything  but  smooth  work. 

After  supper  we  went  ashore,  and  were  soon  on  the 
flat  beach  of  Khabarova,  the  Russians  and  Samoyedes 
regarding  us  with  the  utmost  curiosity.  The  first  ob- 
jects to  attract  our  attention  were  the  two  churches— an 
old  venerable-looking  wooden  shed,  of  an  oblong  rectan- 
gular form,  and  an  octagonal  pavilion,  not  unlike  many 
summer-houses  or  garden  pavilions  that  I  have  seen  at 
home.  How  far  the  divergence  between  the  two  forms 
of  religion  was  indicated  in  the  two  mathematical  figures 


II 


i  „. 

m  < 


p 


ii6 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


I  am  unable  to  say.  It  might  be  that  the  simph'city  of 
the  old  faith  was  expressed  in  the  simple,  four -sided 
building,  while  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  other 
were  typified  in  the  octagonal  form,  with  its  double 
number  of  corners  to  stumble  against.     Then  we  must 


r 


I. 


THE  NEW  CHURCH  AND  THE  OLD  CHURCH  AT  KHABAROVA 

\ Front  II  I'ltiitoxraph) 

go  and  see  the  monastery — "  Skit,"  as  it  was  called — 
where  the  six  monks  had  lived,  or  rather  died,  from  what 
people  said  was  scurvy,  probably  helped  out  by  alcohol. 
It  lay  over  against  the  new  church,  and  resembled  an 
ordinary  low   Russian    timber -house.      The   priest  and 


3:. 


FAKFAVELL    TO  NORWAY 


117 


his  assistants  were  living  there  now,  and  had  asked 
Trontheim  to  take  up  his  quarters  with  them.  Tront- 
heim,  therefore,  invited  us  in,  and  we  soon  found  our- 
selves in  a  couple  of  comfortable  log -built  rooms  with 
open  fireplaces  like  our  Norwegian  "  peis." 

After  this  we  proceeded  to  the  dog-camp,  which  was 
situated  on  a  plain  at  some  distance  from  the  houses  and 
tents.  As  we  approached  it  the  howling  and  barking 
kept  getting  worse  and  worse.  When  a  short  distance 
off  we  were  surprised  to  see  a  Norwegian  flag  on  the 
top  of  a  pole.  Trontheim's  face  beamed  with  joy  as  our 
eyes  fell  on  it.  It  was,  he  said,  under  the  same  flag  as 
our  expedition  that  his  had  been  undertaken.  There 
stood  the  dogs  tied  up,  making  a  deafening  clamor. 
Many  of  them  appeared  to  be  well-bred  animals— long- 
haired, snow- white,  with  up -standing  ears  and  pointed 
muzzles.  With  their  gentle,  good-natured  looking  faces 
they  at  once  ingratiated  themselves  in  our  affections. 
Some  of  them  more  resembled  a  fox,  and  had  shorter 
coats,  while  others  were  black  or  spotted.  Evidently  they 
were  of  different  races,  and  some  of  them  betrayed  by 
their  drooping  ears  a  strong  admixture  of  European 
blood.  After  having  duly  admired  the  ravenous  way 
in  which  they  swallowed  raw  fish  (gwiniad),  not  with- 
out a  good  deal  of  snarling  and  wrangling,  we  took  a 
walk  inland  to  a  lake  close  by  in  search  of  game ;  but 
we  only  found  an  Arctic  gull  with  its  brood.  A  channel 
had  been  dug  from  this  lake  to  convey  drinking-water  to 


ii8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


I 


V  • 


t  ■ 

H 


Kliabarova.     According  to  what  Tronthcim  told  us,  this 
was  the  work  of  the  monks— about  the  only  work,  prob- 
ably, they  had  ever  taken  in  hand.     The  soil  here  was  a 
soft  clay,  und  the  channel  was  narrow  and  shallow,  like  a 
roadside  ditch  or  gutter ;  the  work  could  not  have  been 
very  arduous.     On  the  hill  above  the  lake  stood  the  flag- 
staff  which  we  had  noticed  on  our  arriv  "..     It  had  been 
erected  by  the  excellent  Trontheim  to  bid  us  welcome, 
and    on    the   flag   itself,  as    I    afterwards  discovered    by 
chance,  was  the  word  "  Vorwarts."     Trontheim  had  been 
told  that  was  the  name  of  our  ship,  so  he  was  not  a  little 
disappointed  when  he  came  on  board  to  find  it  was  Fram 
instead.     I  consoled  him,  however,  by  telling   him   they 
both  meant  the  same  thing,  and  that  his  welcome  was 
just  as  well  meant,  whether  written  in  German  or  Nor- 
wegian.     Trontheim  told  me  afterwards  that  he  was  by 
descent  a   Norwegian,  his  father  having   been  a  ship's 
captain  from  Trondhjem,  and  his  mother  an  Esthonian, 
settled  at  Riga.     His  father  had  been  much  at  sea,  and 
had  died  early,  so  the  son  had  not  learnt  Norwegian. 

Naturally  our  first  and  foremost  object  was  to  learn 
all  we  could  about  the  ice  in  the  Arctic  Sea.  We  had 
determined  to  push  on  as  soon  as  possible ;  but  we  must 
have  the  boiler  put  in  order  first,  while  sundry  pipes  and 
valves  in  the  engine  wanted  seeing  to.  As  it  would  take 
several  days  to  do  this,  Sverdrup,  Peter  Henriksen,  and  I 
set  out  next  morning  in  our  little  petroleum  launch  to 
the  eastern  opening  of  the  Yugor  Strait,  to  see  with  our 


li: 


<i 


PETER    HKNRIKSEN 

{/•'rail!  a  f/wiogr  i/ift  tnkeii  in  /S,'/,') 


Nff5 


ii 


M 


f»  ,' 


^^^^^Hvi ' 

!■ 

^^^f 

^^Hh» 

1 

■ 

'        '1 

m 

I! 

■i 

1 

FAREWELL   TO  NORWAY 


131 


own  eyes  what  might  be  the  condition  of  the  ice  to  the 
eastward.  It  was  28  miles  thither.  A  quantity  of  ice 
was  drifting  through  the  strait  from  the  east,  and,  as 
there  was  a  northerly  breeze,  we  at  once  turned  our 
course  northward  to  get  under  the  lee  of  the  north  shore, 
where  the  water  was  more  open.  I  had  the  rather  thank- 
less task  of  acting  as  helmsman  and  engineer  at  one  and 
the  same  time.  The  boat  went  on  like  a  little  hero  and 
made  about  six  knots.  Everything  looked  bright.  But, 
alas !  good  fortune  seldom  lasts  long,  especially  when  one 
has  to  do  with  petroleum  launches.  A  defect  in  the  cir- 
culation-pump soon  stopped  the  engine,  and  wc  could 
only  go  for  short  distances  at  a  time,  till  we  reached  the 
north  shore,  where,  after  two  hours'  hard  work,  I  got  the 
engines  so  far  in  order  as  to  be  able  to  continue  our  jour- 
ney to  the  northeast  through  the  sound  between  the  drift- 
ing floes.  We  got  on  pretty  well,  except  for  an  interrui> 
tion  every  now  and  then  when  the  engine  took  it  into  its 
head  to  come  to  a  standstill.  It  caused  a  good  deal  of 
merriment  when  the  stalwart  Peter  turned  the  crank  to 
set  her  off  again  and  the  engine  gave  a  start  so  as  nearly 
to  pull  his  arms  out  of  joint  and  upset  him  head  over 
heels  in  the  boat.  Every  now  and  then  a  flock  of  long- 
tailed  duck  {Harelda  glacialis)  or  other  birds  came  whiz- 
zing by  us,  one  or  two  of  them  invariably  falling  to  our 
guns. 

We  had  kept  along  the  Vaigats  shore,  but  now  crossed 
over  towards  the  south  side  of  the  strait.     When  about 


K  ■ 

y 


1  fi 


I  22 


FARTHEST  NORTJf 


IIS 


i     t 


the  middle  of  the  channel  I  was  startled  by  all  at  once 
seeing  the  bottom  grow  light  under  us,  and  had  nearly 
run  the  boat  on  a  shoal  of  which  no  one  knew  anvthin<^ 
There  was  scarcely  more  than  two  or  three  feet  of  water, 
and  the  current  ran  over  it  like  a  rajiid  river.    Shoals  and 
sunken  rocks  abound  there  on  every  hand,  especially  on 
the  south  side  of  the  strait,  and  it  required  great  care  to 
navigate  a  vessel  through  it.     Near  the  eastern  mouth  of 
the  strait  we  put  into  a  little  creek,  dragged  the  boat  up 
on  the  beach,  and  then,  taking  our  guns,  made  for  some 
high-lying  land  we  had  noticed.     We  tramped  along  over 
the  same  undulating  plain-land  with  low  ridges,  as  we  had 
seen  everywhere  round  the  Yugor  Strait,     A  brownish- 
green  carpet  of  moss  and  grass  spread  over  the  plain,  be- 
•  strewn  with  flowers  of  rare  beauty.     During  the  long,  cold 
Siberian  winter  the  snow  lies  in  a  thick  mass  over  the 
tundra;    but  no  sooner  does  the  sun  get  the  better  of  it 
than  hosts  of  tiny  northern  flowers  burst  their  way  up 
through  the  fast-disappearing  coating  of  snow  and  open 
their  modest  calices,  blushing  in  the  radiant  summer  day 
that  bathes  the  plain  in  its  splendor.      Saxifrages  with 
large  blooms,  pale -yellow  mountain   poppies  {Papaver 
iinduaiilc)  stand  in  bright  clusters,  and  here  and   there 
with  bluish  forget-me-nots  and  white  cloud-berry  flowers; 
in  some  boggy  hollows  the  cotton-grass  spreads  its  wavy 
down  carpet,  while  in  other  spots  small  forests  of  blue- 
bells softly  tingle  in  the  wind  on  their  upright  stalks. 
These  flowers  are  not  at  all  brilliant  specimens,  beintr  in 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


123 


most  cases  not  more  than  a  couple  of  inches  high,  but 
they  are  all  the  more  exquisite  on  that  account,  and  in 
such  surroundings  their  beauty  is  singularly  attractive. 
While  the  eye  vainly  seeks  for  a  resting-place  over  the 
boundless  plain,  these  modest  blooms  smile  at  you  and 
take  the  fancy  captive. 

And  over  these  mighty  tundra-plains  of  Asia,  stretch- 
ing infinitely  onward  from  one  sky-line  to  the  other,  the 
nomad  wanders  with  his  reindeer  herds,  a  glorious,  free 
life !  Where  he  wills  he  pitches  his  tent,  his  reindeer 
around  him ;  and  at  his  will  again  he  goes  on  his  way. 
I  almost  envied  him.  He  has  no  gi  al  to  struggle  tow- 
ards, no  anxieties  to  endure  —  he  has  merely  to  live! 
I  wellnigh  wished  that  I  could  live  his  peaceful  life, 
with  wife  and  child,  on  these  boundless,  open  plains,  un- 
fettered, happy. 

After  we  had  proceeded  a  short  distance,  we  became 
aware  of  a  white  object  sitting  on  a  stone  heap  beneath 
a  little  ridge,  and  soon  noticed  more  in  other  directions. 
They  looked  quite  ghostly  as  they  sat  there  silent  and 
motionless.  With  the  help  of  my  field-glass  I  discovered 
that  they  were  snow-owls.  We  set  out  after  them,  but 
they  took  care  to  keep  out  of  the  range  of  a  fowling- 
piece.  Sverdrup,  however,  shot  one  or  two  with  his  rifle. 
There  was  a  great  number  of  them;  I  could  count  as 
many  as  eight  or  ten  at  once.  They  sat  motionless  on 
tussocks  of  grass  or  stones,  watching,  no  doubt,  for 
lemmings,  of    which,  judging   from   their   tracks,  there 


Ito 


124 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


11      i  :  ) 


f  li-  V         ' 


must  have   been   quantities.     We,  however,  did  not  see 
any. 

From  the  tops  of  the  ridges  we  could  see  over  the 
Kara  Sea  to  the  northeast.  Everywhere  ice  could  be 
descried  through  the  telescope,  far  on  the  horizon— ice, 
too,  that  seemed  tolerably  close  and  massive.  But  be- 
tween it  and  the  coast  there  was  open  water,  stretching, 
like  a  wide  channel,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  to  the 
southeast.  This  was  all  we  could  make  out,  but  it  was 
in  reality  all  we  wanted.  There  seemed  to  be  no  doubt 
that  we  could  make  our  way  forward,  and,  well  satisfied, 
we  returned  to  our  boat.  Here  we  lighted  a  fire  of  drift- 
wood, and  made  some  glorious  coffee. 

As  the  coffee-kettle  was  singing  over  a  splendid  fire, 
and  we  stretched  ourselves  at  full  length  on  the  slope  by 
its  side  and  smoked  a  quiet  pipe,  Sverdrup  made  himself 
thoroughly  comfortable,  and  told  us  one  story  after 
another.  However  gloomy  a  country  might  look,  how- 
ever desolate,  if  only  there  were  plenty  of  driftwood  on 
the  beach,  so  that  one  could  make  a  right  good  fire,  the 
bigger  the  better,  then  his  eyes  would  glisten  with  de- 
light— that  land  was  his  El  Dorado.  So  from  that  time 
forth  he  conceived  a  high  opinion  of  the  Siberian  coast 
— a  right  good  place  for  wintering,  he  called  it. 

On  our  way  back  we  ran  at  full  speed  on  to  a  sunken 
rock.  After  a  bump  or  two  the  boat  slid  over  it;  but 
just  as  she  was  slipping  off  on  the  other  side  the  pro- 
peller  struck   on    the    rock,  so   that   the   stern   gave   a 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


125 


!'t 


bound  into  the  air  while  the  engine  whizzed  round  at 
a  tearing  rate.  It  all  happened  in  a  second,  before  I 
had  time  to  stop  her.  Unluckily  one  screw  blade  was 
broken  off,  but  we  drove  ahead  with  the  other  as  best 
we  could.  Our  progress  was  certainly  rather  uneven, 
but  for  all  that  we  managed  to  get  on  somehow. 

Towards  morning  we  drew  near  the  Frcim,  passing 
two  Samoyedes,  who  had  drawn  their  boat  up  on  an 
ice-floe  and  were  looking  out  for  seals.  I  wonder  what 
they  thought  when  they  saw  our  tiny  boat  shoot  by 
them  without  steam,  sails,  or  oars.  We,  at  all  events, 
looked  down  on  these  "  poor  savages "  with  the  self-sat- 
isfied compassion  of  Europeans,  as,  comfortably  seated, 
we  dashed  past  them. 

But  pride  comes  before  a  fall !  We  had  not  gone 
far  when  —  whir,  whir,  whir  —  a  fearful  racket!  bits 
of  broken  steel  springs  whizzed  past  my  ears,  and  the 
whole  machine  came  to  a  dead  stop.  It  was  not  to  be 
moved  either  forward  or  backward.  The  vibration  of 
the  one-bladed  propeller  had  brought  the  lead  line  little 
by  little  within  the  range  of  the  fly-wheel,  and  all  at 
once  the  whole  line  was  drawn  into  the  machinery,  and 
got  so  dreadfully  entangled  in  it  that  we  had  to  take 
the  whole  thing  to  pieces  to  get  it  clear  once  more. 
So  we  had  to  endure  the  humiliation  of  rowing  back  to 
our  proud  ship,  for  whose  flesh-pots  we  had  long  been 
anhungered. 

The  net  result  of  the  day  was:  tolerably  good  news 


I 


!1 


f    X' 


126 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


f        I 
t. 


fl 


> 


\ ' 


I       ) 


If,,  I       ( 


if? 


about  the  Kara  Sea;  forty  birds,  principally  geese  and 
long-tailed  ducks ;  one  seal ;  and  a  disabled  boat. 
Amundsen  and  I,  however,  soon  put  this  in  complete 
repair  again  —  but  in  so  doing  I  fear  I  forfeited  for- 
ever and  a  day  the  esteem  of  the  Russians  and  Samoy- 
edes  in  these  parts.  Some  of  them  had  been  on  board 
in  the  morning  and  seen  me  hard  at  work  in  the  boat 
in  my  shirt- sleeves,  face  and  bare  arms  divty  with  oil 
and  other  messes.  They  went  on  shore  afterwards  to 
Trontheim,  and  said  that  I  could  not  possibly  be  a 
great  person,  slaving  away  like  any  other  workman  on 
board,  and  looking  worse  than  a  common  rough.  Tront- 
heim, unfortunately,  knew  of  nothing  that  could  be  said 
in  my  excuse;  there  is  no  fighting  against  facts. 

In  the  evening  some  of  us  went  on  shore  to  try  the 
dogs.  Tiontheim  picked  out  ten  of  them  and  harnessed 
them  to  a  Samoyede  sledge.  No  sooner  were  we  ready 
and  I  ha  1  taken  my  seat  than  the  team  caught  sight 
of  a  wretched  strange  dog  that  had  come  near,  and  off 
dashed  dogs,  sledge,  and  my  valuable  person  after  the 
poor  creature.  There  was  a  tremendous  uproar;  all  the 
ten  tumbled  over  each  other  like  wild  wolves,  biting  and 
tearing  wherever  they  could  catch  hold;  blood  ran  in 
streams,  and  the  culprit  howled  pitiably,  while  Trontheim 
tore  round  like  a  madman,  striking  right  and  left  with  his 
long  switch.  S.  -  oyedes  and  Russians  came  screaming 
from  all  sides.  I  sat  passively  on  the  sledge  in  the 
middle  of  it  all,  dumb  with  fright,  and  it  was  ever  so  long 


•%xi 


FAREWELL   TO  NORWAY 


127 


before  it  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  perhaps  something 
for  me  too  to  do.  With  a  horrible  yell  I  flung  myself  on 
some  of  the  worst  fighters,  got  hold  of  them  by  the  neck, 
and  managed  to  give  the  culprit  time  to  get  away. 


OUR    TRIAL    TRIP    WITH    THE     DOGS 

(liy  Otto  Sindingtfrom  a  F/iotogra/ilt) 

Our  team  had  got  badly  mixed  up  during  the  battle, 
and  it  took  some  time  to  disentrngle  them.  At  last 
everything  was  once  more  ready  for  the  start.  Tront- 
heim  cracked  his  whip,  and  called,  "  Pr-r-r-r,  pr-r-r-r,"  and 
off  we  went  at  a  wild  gallop,  over  grass,  clay,  and  stones, 
until  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  going  to  carry  us  right 
across  the  lagoon  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  I  kicked 
and  pulled  in  with  all  my  might,  but  was  dragged  along, 
and  it  was  all  that  Trontheim  and  I  with  our  united 
strength  could  do  to  stop  them  just  as  they  were  going 
into  the  water,  although  we  shouted  "  Sass,  sass,"  so  that 
it  echoed  over  the  whole  of  Khabarova.  But  at  last  we 
got  our  team  turned  in  another  direction,  and  off  we  set 


128 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


<      'I 


again  merrily  at  such  a  pace  that  I  had  enough  to  do  to 
hold  on.  It  was  an  extraordinary  summer  ride ;  and  it 
gave  us  a  high  opinion  of  the  dogs'  strength,  seeing  how 
easily  they  drew  two  men  over  this,  to  put  it  mildly,  bad 
sledging  ground.  We  went  on  board  again  well  satisfied, 
also  the  richer  by  a  new  experience,  having  learnt  that 
dog-driving,  at  any  rate  to  begin  with,  requires  much 
patience. 

Siberian  dog-harness  is  remarkably  primitive.  A  thick 
rope  or  a  strap  of  sail-cloth  passes  round  the  animal's 
back  and  belly.  This  is  held  in  its  place  above  by  a  piece 
of  cord  attached  to  the  collar.  The  single  trace  is 
fastened  under  '.he.  belly,  goes  back  between  the  legs, 
and  must  often  plague  the  animal.  I  was  unpleasantly 
surprised  when  I  noticed  that,  with  four  exceptions,  all 
the  dogs  were  castrated,  and  this  surprise  I  did  not 
conceal.  But  Trontheim  on  his  side  was  at  least  equally 
astonished,  and  informed  me  thai  in  Siberia  castrated 
dogs  are  considered  the  best.*  This  was  a  disappoint- 
ment to  me,  as  I  had  reckoned  on  my  canine  family 
increasing  on  the  way.  For  the  present  I  should  just 
have  to  trust  to  the  four  "  whole  "  dogs  and  "  Kvik,"  the 
bitch  I  had  brought  with  me  from  home. 

Next  day,  August  ist,  there  was  a  great  religious 
festival  in  Khabarova,  that  of  St.  Elias.  Samoyedes 
from  far  and  near  had  come  in  with  their  reindeer  teams 


J  .i 


*  The  ordinary  male  dog  is  liable  to  get  inflammation  of  the  scro- 
tum from  the  friction  of  the  trace. 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


129 


to  celebrate  the  day  by  going  to  church  and  then  getting 
roaring  drunk.  We  were  in  need  of  men  in  the  morning 
to  help  in  filling  the  boiler  with  fresh  water  and  the 
tank  with  drinking-water,  but  on  account  of  this  festival 
it  was  difficult  to  get  hold  of  any  at  all.  At  last,  by  dint 
of  promising  sufficient  reward,  Trontheim  succeeded  in 
collecting  some  poor  fellows  who  had  not  money  enough 
to  drink  themselves  as  drunk  as  the  day  required  of 
them.  I  was  on  shore  in  the  morning,  partly  to  arrange 
about  the  provision  of  water,  partly  to  collect  fossils,  in 
which  the  rock  here  abounds,  especially  one  rock  below 
Sibiriakoff's  warehouse,  i  also  took  a  walk  up  the  hill 
to  the  west,  to  Trontheim's  flag-staff,  and  looked  out  to 
sea  in  that  direction  after  the  Urania.  But  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  except  an  unbroken  sea-line.  Loaded 
with  my  find  I  returned  to  Khabarova,.  where  I,  of 
course,  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  festival. 

From  early  morning  the  women  had  been  dressed  in 
their  finest  clothes  —  brilliant  colors,  skirts  with  many 
tucks,  and  great  colored  bows  at  the  end  of  plaits  of 
hair  which  hung  far  down  their  backs.  Before  service 
an  old  Samoyede  and  a  comely  young  girl  led  out  a  lean 
reindeer  which  was  to  be  offered  to  the  church — to  the 
old  church,  that  is  to  say.  Even  up  here,  as  already 
mentioned,  religious  differences  have  found  their  way. 
Nearly  all  the  Samoyedes  of  these  parts  belong  to  the  old 
faith  and  attend  the  old  church.     Bi  c  iliey  go  occasion- 


"m'^A 


% 


f 


hll  1] 


iiii 


H  '' 


i 

1     1 

i 

1 

^i 

ll 

1 

1:' 

It 


!'! 


iL  ; 

1^ : 

130 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


ally  to  the  new  one  too ;  as  far  as  I  could  make  out,  so  as 
not  to  offend  the  priest  and  Sibiriakoff — or  perhaps  to 
be  surer  of  heaven  ?  From  what  I  got  out  of  Tront- 
heim  on  the  subject,  the  chief  difference  between  the  two 
religions  lies  in  the  way  they  make  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
or  something  of  that  sort.  To-day  was  high  festival  in 
both  churches.  All  the  Samoyedes  first  paid  a  short 
visit  to  the  new  church  and  then  immediately  streamed 
over  into  the  old  one.  The  old  church  was  for  the 
moment  without  a  priest,  but  to  -  day  they  had  clubbed 
together  and  offered  the  priest  of  the  new  church  two 
roubles  to  hold  a  service  in  the  old  one  too.  After  care- 
ful consideration,  he  agreed,  and  in  all  his  priestly  pomp 
crossed  the  old  threshold.  The  air  inside  was  so  bad 
that  I  could  not  stand  it  for  more  than  two  minutes,  so 
I  now  made  my  way  on  board  again. 

During  the  afternoon  the  howling  and  screaming  be- 
gan, and  increased  as  time  went  on.  We  did  not  need 
to  be  told  that  the  serious  part  of  the  festival  had  now 
begun.  Some  of  the  Samoyedes  tore  about  over  the 
plain  with  their  reindeer  teams  like  furious  animus. 
They  could  not  sit  on  their  sledges,  but  lay  on  them,  or 
were  dragged  behind  them,  howling.  Some  of  my  com- 
rades went  on  shore,  and  brought  back  anything  but  an 
edifying  account  of  the  state  of  things.  Every  single 
man  and  woman  appeared  to  be  drunk,  reeling  about  the 
place.  One  young  Samoyede  in  particular  had  made  an 
ineffaceable  impression  on  them.     He  mounted  a  sledge, 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


131 


lashed  at  the  reindeer,  and  drove  "  amuck  "  in  among  the 
tents,  over  the  tied-up  dogs,  foxes,  and  whatever  came  in. 
his  way ;  he  himself  fell  off  the  sledge,  was  caught  in  the 


EVENING    SCENE    AT    KHABAROVA 

(By  Otto  Sindiiig,  from  a  Photograph) 

reins,  and  dragged  behind,  shrieking,  through  sand  and 
clay.  Good  St.  Elias  must  be  much  flattered  by  such 
homage.     Towards  morning  the  howling  gradually  died 


I 


I  • 


111     ' 


'    1 

r 

tft; 

t 

,'i 

( 

^ 

' 

f] 

" '  I'll 


M    » 


-.  I, 


132 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


i 


away,  and  the  whole  town  slept  the  loathsome  sleep  of 
the  drunkard. 

There  was  not  a  man  to  bo  got  to  help  with  our  coal- 
shifting  next  day.  Most-  -A  fhi>m  slept  all  day  after  the 
orgie  of  the  night.  We  had  ins;t  to  do  without  help; 
but  we  had  not  finished  by  evening,  and  I  began  to  be 
impatient  to  get  away.  Precious  time  was  passing;  I 
had  long  ago  given  up  the  Uranin.  \Vc  Jld  not  really 
need  more  coal.  The  wind  had  been  favorable  for  sev- 
eral days.  It  was  a  south  wind,  which  was  certainly 
blowing  the  ice  to  the  northward  in  the  Kara  Sea. 
Sverdrup  was  now  positive  that  we  should  be  able  to  sail 
in  open  water  all  the  way  to  the  New  Siberian  Islands, 
so  it  was  his  opinion  that  there  was  no  hurry  for  the 
present.  But  hope  is  a  frail  reed  to  lean  on,  and  my 
expectations  were  not  quite  so  bright;  so  I  hurried 
things  on,  to  get  away  as  soon  as  possible. 

At  the  supper-table  this  evening  King  Oscar's  gold 
medal  of  merit  was  solemnly  presented  to  Trontheim,  in 
recognition  of  the  great  care  with  which  he  had  executed 
his  difficult  commission,  and  the  valuable  assistance 
thereby  rendered  to  the  expedition.  His  honest  face 
beamed  at  the  sight  of  the  beautiful  medal  and  the  bright 
ribbon. 

Next  day,  August  3d,  we  were  at  last  ready  for  a  start, 
and  the  34  dogs  were  brought  on  board  in  the  afternoon, 
with  great  noise  and  confusion.  They  were  all  tied 
up  on  the  deck  forward,  and  began  by  providing  more 


FAREWELL   TO  NORWAY 


^11 


musical  entertainment  than  we  desired.  By  evening  the 
hour  had  come.  We  got  up  steam — everything  was 
ready.  But  such  a  thick  fog  had  set  in  that  we  could 
not  see  the  land.  Now  came  the  moment  when  our  last 
friend,  Christofersen,  was  to  leave  the  ship.  We  sup- 
plied him  with  the  barest  sufficiency  of  provisions  and 
some  Ringnes's  ale.  While  this  was  being  done,  last 
lines  were  added  in  feverish  eagerness  to  the  letters 
home.  Then  came  a  last  hand-clasp;  Christofersen  and 
Tronthcim  got  into  the  boat,  and  had  soon  disappeared 
in  the  fog.  With  them  went  our  last  post ;  our  last  link 
with  home  was  broken.  We  were  alone  in  the  mist  on 
the  sea.  It  was  not  likely  that  any  message  from  us 
would  reach  the  world  before  we  ourselves  brought  the 
news  of  our  success  or  defeat.  How  much  anxiety  were 
those  at  home  to  suffer  between  now  and  then !  It  is 
true  we  might  possibly  be  able  to  send  letters  home  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Olenek,  where,  according  to  the  agree- 
ment with  Baron  Toll,  we  were  to  call  in  for  another 
supply  of  dogs;  but  I  did  not  consider  this  probable.  It 
was  far  on  in  the  summer,  and  I  had  an  instinctive  feel- 
ing that  the  state  of  the  ice  was  not  so  favorable  as  I 
could  have  wished  it  to  be. 

trontiieim's   narrative 


'   :  « 


I 


Alexander   Ivanovitch  Trontheim  has   himself  given 
an  account,  in  the  Tobolsk  ofificial  newspaper,  of  his  long 


i 


p  ■ 

',  •    i 

V     I                 ' 

'  •>       1 

'  ■     ■ , 

0    ' 

"t         i 

'* 

1   <        • 
1'  ' 

i'  :*    1' 

ii 


fi.^     I 


»34 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


and  difficult  journey  with  our  dogs.  The  account  was 
written  by  A.  Kryloff  from  Trontheim's  story.  'I'he  fol- 
lowing is  a  short  resume : 

After  having  made  the  contract  with  Baron  Toll, 
Trontheim  was  on  January  28th  (January  i6th  by  Rus- 
sian reckoning)  already  at  Berezoff,  where  there  was  then 
a  Yassak-meeting  *  and  consequently  a  great  assembly  of 
Ostiaks  and  Samoyedes.  Trontheim  made  use  of  this 
opportunity  and  bought  n  (this  ought  probably  to  be 
40)  choice  sledge  dogs.  These  he  conveyed  to  the  little 
country  town  of  Muzhi,  where  he  made  preparations  for 
the  "very  long  journey,"  passing  the  time  in  this  way 
till  April  1 6th.  By  this  date  he  had  prepared  300  pud 
(about  9600  lbs.)  of  dog  provender,  consisting  chiefly  of 
dried  fish.  For  300  roubles  he  engaged  a  Syriane, 
named  Terentieff,  with  a  reindeer  herd  of  450,  to  convey 
him,  his  dogs,  and  baggage  to  Yugor  Strait.  For  three 
months  these  two  with  their  caravan — reindeer,  drivers, 
dogs,  women,  and  children — travelled  through  the  barren 
tracts  of  northern  Siberia.  At  first  their  route  lay 
through  the  Ural  Mountains.  "  It  was  more  a  sort  of 
nomadic  life  than  a  journey.  They  did  not  go  straight 
on  towards  their  destination,  but  wandered  over  wide 
tracts  of  country,  stopping  wherever  it  was  suitable  for 
the  reindeer,  and  where  they  found  lichen.  From  the 
little  town  of  Muzhi  the  expedition  passed  up  the  Voikara 

*  Yassak  is  a  tax  paid  in  fur  by  tlie  Siberians. 


2 


;» 


■ 


O.  CIIRISTOFERSEN    AND    A.  TRONTHF.IM 

(/■'rout  It  /»/;i)/<i;'' ''//'' 


p  ^^' ' 

1  ■;■' , 

11' 

FAREWELL    TO   NORWAY 


m 


River  to  its  sources ;  and  here  began  the  ascent  of  the 
Ural  Mountains  by  the  Pass  of  Kjaila  (Kjola).  In  their 
crossing  of  the  chain  they  tried  to  skirt  along  the  foot  of 
the  mountains,  climbing  as  little  as  possible.  .  .  . 

"  They  noticed  one  marked  contrast  between  the 
mountains  in  the  northern  and  those  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  Ural  chain.  In  the  south  the  snow  melts  quickly 
in  the  lower  regions  and  remains  lying  on  the  tops. 
Here  (in  the  northern  Ural),  on  the  contrary,  the  moun- 
tain-tops are  free  from  snow  before  the  sun's  rays  pene- 
trate into  the  valleys  and  melt  it  there.  In  some  valleys, 
especially  those  closed  by  mountains  to  the  south,  and 
more  exposed  to  north  winds,  the  snow  lies  the  whole 
summer.  When  they  had  got  across  the  Ural  Moun- 
tains they  first  followed  the  course  of  the  River  Lemva, 
then  crossed  it,  and  now  followed  a  whole  system  of  small 
rivers,  for  which  even  the  natives  have  no  names.  At 
last,  on  May  4th,  the  expedition  reached  the  River  Ussa, 
on  the  banks  of  which  lay  the  hut  of  the  Syriane  Nikit- 
sa."  This  was  "  tne  one  inhabited  spot  in  this  enormous 
tract  of  country,"  and  here  they  stopped  two  weeks  to 
rest  the  reindeer  and  get  provender  for  them.  "The 
country  lying  between  the  sources  of  the  Voikara  and 
the  Ussa  is  wooded  in  every  direction."  "  Between  the 
River  Ussa  and  the  River  Vorkuta,  and  even  beyond  that, 
Trontheim  and  his  company  travelled  through  quite  lux- 
uriant wood.  In  the  middle  of  May,  as  the  caravan  ap- 
proached the  tundra  region,  the  wood  got  thinner  and 


^1 

SI 

1- 

I 


•:% 


.-,'lj 


138 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\  1    S}  ' 


,  r 


thinner,  and  by  May  27th  it  was  nothing  but  scattered 
underwood.  After  this  came  quite  small  bushes  and 
weeds,  and  then  at  last  the  interminable  tundra  came  in 
sight.  Not  to  be  without  fuel  on  the  tundra,  they  felled 
seme  dead  trees  and  other  wood — eight  sledge  loads.  The 
day  after  they  got  out  on  the  tundra  (May  29th)  the  cara- 
van set  off  at  full  speed,  the  Syrianes  being  anxious  to 
get  quickly  past  a  place  where  a  whole  herd  of  reindeer 
had  perished  some  years  before.  The  reindeer-drivers 
take  good  note  of  such  places,  and  do  everything  possi- 
ble to  avoid  them,  as  the  animals  may  easily  be  infected 
by  gnawing  the  bones  of  their  dead  comrades.  God  help 
the  herd  that  this  happens  to !  The  disease  passes  rapid- 
ly from  animal  to  animal,  and  scores  may  die  of  it  in  a 
day.* 

"  In  this  region  there  are  many  bogs ;  the  low  land 
forms  one  continuous  morass.  Sometimes  we  had  to 
walk  up  to  the  waist  in  water;  thus  on  June  5th  we 
splashed  about  the  whole  day  in  water,  in  constant  fear 
of  the  dogs  catching  cold.  On  the  6th  a  strong  north- 
east wind  blew,  and  at  night  the  cold  was  so  severe  that 
two  reindeer-calves  were  frozen  to  death;  and  besides 
this  two  grown  ones  were  carried  off  by  wolves." 

The  caravan  had  often  to  cross  rapid  rivers,  where  it 
was  sometimes  very  difficult  to  find  a  ford.  They  were 
frequently  obliged  to  construct  a  bridge  with  the  help  of 


■  This  disease  is  probably  anthrax,  or  something  of  the  same  nature. 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


139 


tent-poles  and  sometimes  blocks  of  ice,  and  it  occasionally 
took  them  a  whole  day  to  get  across.  By  degrees  their 
supply  of  wood  was  used  up,  and  it  was  difificult  to  get 
food  cooked.  Few  bushes  were  to  be  found.  On  June 
17th  they  met  a  Syriane  reindeer  driver  and  trader;  from 
him  they  bought  two  bottles  of  wine  (brandy)  at  70  ko- 
pecks each.  "  It  was,  as  is  customary,  a  very  friendly 
encounter,  and  ended  with  treatings  on  both  sides.  One 
can  see  a  long  way  on  the  tundra ;  the  Syriane's  keen 
eye  detects  another  herd,  or  smoke  from  inhabited 
tents,  10  versts  off;  and  a  nomad  who  has  discovered  the 
presence  of  another  human  being  10  or  12  versts  off 
never  lets  slip  the  opportunity  of  visiting  him  in  his 
camp,  having  a  talk,  and  being  regaled  with  tea,  or,  in 
preference,  brandy.  The  day  after,  June  i8th,  some 
Samoyedes,  who  had  heard  of  the  caravan,  came  on  four 
sledges  to  the  camp.  They  were  entertained  with  tea. 
The  conversation,  carried  on  in  Samoyede,  was  about  the 
health  of  the  reindeer,  our  journey,  and  the  way  to  Yugor 
Strait.  When  the  scanty  news  of  the  tundra  had  been 
well  discussed  they  took  their  departure." 

By  the  end  of  June,  when  they  had  got  through  all 
the  ramifications  of  the  Little  Ural  Mountains,  the  time 
was  drawing  near  w'hen,  according  to  his  agreement, 
Tronthcim  was  due  at  Yugor  Strait.  He  was  obliged 
to  hasten  the  rate  of  travelling,  which  was  not  an  easy 
matter,  with  more  than  40  sledges  and  450  reindeer, 
not  counting  the  calves.       He,  therefore,  determined  to 


MO 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


w 


1 1  >': 


Pi  '{  % 


divide   the   caravan    into   two   parts,  leave    the   women, 
children,  and  domestic  animals  behind,  and  push  forward 
without  any  baggage,  except  the  necessary  food.     So,  on 
June  28th,  "thirty  sledges,  tents,  etc.,  were  left  with  the 
women  and  children,  who  were  to  live  their  nomadic  life 
as  best  they  could.     The  male  Syrianes  took  ten  sledges 
and  went  on  with   Trontheim."      At  last,  on  July  9th, 
after  more  wanderings,  they  saw  the  sea  from  a  "high 
hill,"   and    next    day    they    reached    Khabarova,    where 
Trontheim  learned  that  no  steamer  had  arrived  yet  in 
Yugor  Strait,  nor  had  any  sail  been  seen.     At  this  time 
the  whole  shore  of  Yugor  Strait  and  all  the  sea  within 
sight  was  covered  with   ice,  driven   there   by  northerly 
winds.      The    sea    was    not   quite   open    till    July    22d. 
Trontheim  passed    the   time  while    he  was  waiting  for 
the  Fram  in   hunting  and  making  excursions  with  his 
dogs,  which  were  in  excellent  condition.     He  was  often 
in    the    Sibiriakoff    colony,   a    meeting  -  place    for    the 
Samoyedes  of  the  district,  who  come  here  in  considerable 
numbers    to   dispose  of   their    wares.       And    it    was    a 
melancholy  phase  of  life  he  saw  here  in  this  little  "  world- 
forsaken  "  colony.     "Every  summer  two  or  three  mer- 
chants  or    peasant   traders,  generally  from    Pustozersk, 
come  for  the  purpose  of  bartering  with  the  Samoyedes, 
and  sometimes  the  Syrianes,  too,  for  their  wares— bear- 
skins, blubber,  and   sealskins,  reindeer -skins,  and    such 
like  — giving    in    exchange    tea,  sugar,  flour,  household 
utensils,  etc.     No   transaction   takes    place    without  the 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


141 


drinking  of  brandy,  for  which  the  Samoyede  has  an 
insatiable  craving.  When  the  trader  has  succeeded  in 
making  a  poor  wretch  quite  tipsy,  he  fleeces  him,  and 
buys  all  he  wants  at  some  ridiculous  price — the  result  of 
the  transaction  gener.-Hy  being  that  the  Samoyede  is  in 
debt  to  his  '  benefactor.'  All  the  traders  that  come  to 
the  colony  bring  brandy,  and  one  great  drinking-bout 
goes  on  all  the  summer.  You  can  tell  where  much  busi- 
ness is  done  by  the  number  of  brandy  casks  in  the  trad- 
er's booth.  There  is  no  police  inspection,  and  it  would 
be  difficult  to  organize  anything  of  the  kind.  As  soon 
as  there  is  snow  enough  for  the  sledges,  the  merchants' 
reindeer  caravans  start  from  the  colony  on  their  home- 
ward journey,  loadea  with  empty  brandy  casks  and  with 
the  proceeds  of  this  one-sided  bartering. 

"  On  July  30th  [this  ought  to  be  29th]  Trontheim  saw 
from  the  shore,  first,  smoke,  and  soon  after  a  steamer. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  of  its  being  the  Fram.  He 
went  out  in  a  little  Samoyede  boat  to  meet  her,  and 
called  out  in  Russian  that  he  wanted  to  be  taken  on 
board.  From  the  steamer  they  called  back,  asking  who 
he  was,  and  when  they  heard  his  name  he  was  hauled 
up.  On  deck  he  met  Naiisen  himself,  in  a  greasy  work- 
ing-jacket. He  is  still  quite  a  young  man,  of  middle 
height.  ..."  Here  follows  a  flattering  description  of  the 
leader  of  the  expedition,  and  the  state  of  matters  on 
board.  "  Ii  . ddent,"  he  then  goes  on,  "that  we  have 
here  one  fami!; ,  united  and  inspired  by  one  idea,  for  the 


H 


142 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


■J  i 


h  > 


it  I 


carrying  out  of  which  all  labor  devotedly.  The  hard 
and  dirty  work  on  board  is  fairly  divided,  no  difference 
being  made  between  the  common  sailor  and  the  captain, 
or  even  the  chief  of  the  expedition.  The  doctor,  too, 
takes  his  share  in  the  general  work,  and  this  community 
of  labor  is  a  close  bond  between  all  on  board.  The 
existence  of  such  relations  among  the  ship's  company 
made  a  very  favorable  impression  on  Trontheim,  and 
this  most  of  all  (in  his  opinion)  justified  the  hope  that 
in  difficult  crises  the  expedition  would  be  able  to  hold 
its  own. 

"  A.  I.  Trontheim  was  on  board  the  J^ram  every 
day,  breakfasting  and  dining  there.  From  what  he  re- 
lates, the  ship  must  be  admirably  built,  leaving  noth- 
ing whatever  to  be  desired.  The  cabins  are  roomy, 
and  comfortably  fitted  up ;  there  is  an  excellent  library, 
containing  the  classics  of  European  literature;  various 
musical  instruments,  from  a  beautiful  grand -piano*  to 
flutes  and  guitars ;  then  chess,  draughts,  etc. — all  I  or  the 
recreation  of  the  company." 

Here  follows  a  descrij)tion  of  the  Fram,  her  general 
equipments,  and  commissariat.  It  seems  to  have  made 
a  great  impression  on  him  that  we  had  no  wine  (brandy) 
on  board.     "  I  was  told,"  he  exclaims,  "  that  only  among 


If 


*  By  this  he  probably  means  our  organ.  Our  other  musical  instru- 
ments were  as  follows:  An  accordion,  belonging  to  the  ship,  and  a  flute, 
violin,  and  several  Jew's-harps,  belonging  to  one  of  the  ships's  com- 
pany. 


iit.  .i 


FAREWELL    TO   NORWAY 


143 


the  medicine  stores  have  they  some  20  or  30  bottles  of 
the  best  cognac  pure,  highly  rectified  spirit.  It  is  Nan- 
sen's  opinion  that  brandy-drinking  in  these  northern 
regions  is  injurious,  and  may,  if  indulged  in  on  such  a 
difficult  and  dangerous  voyage,  have  very  serious  con- 
sequences ;  he  has  therefore  considered  it  expedient  to 
supply  its  place  by  fruit  and  various  sorts  of  sweets,  of 
which  there  are  large  supplies  on  board."  "  In  harbor 
the  crew  spent  most  of  the  day  together;  in  spite  of 
community  of  work,  each  individual's  duties  are  fixed 
down  to  the  minutest  detail.  They  all  sit  down  to 
meals  together,  with  the  exception  of  the  acting  cook, 
whose  duty  they  take  by  turns.  Health  and  good  spir- 
its are  to  be  read  on  every  face ;  Hansen's  immova- 
ble faith  in  a  successful  and  happy  issue  to  their  ex- 
pedition inspires  the  whole  crew  with  courage  and 
confidence. 

'  On  August  3d  they  shifted  coal  on  board  the  Fram 
from  the  ship's  hold  down  to  the  stoke -hold  (coal 
bunkers).  All  the  members  of  the  expedition  took  part 
in  this  work,  Nanscn  at  their  head,  and  they  worked 
unitedly  and  cheerfully.  This  sa.p.e  day  Nansen  and  his 
companions  tried  the  dogs  on  shore.  Eight  [this  should 
be  ten  |  where  harnessed  to  a  sledge  on  which  three 
persons  took  their  places.  Nansen  expressed  his  satis- 
faction with  the  dogs,  and  thanked  Trontheim  for  the 
good  selection  he  had  made,  and  for  the  excellent 
condition   the  animals  were  in.     When   the  dogs  were 


I 


7         «1 


il 


*     »i 


'HI 


i  i' 


I' 


144 


^^ARTHEST  NORTH 


K\ 


si 


i 


F.% 


ll 


^  i 


i    , 


'     ) 


U'i 


I 

n  i 


taken  over  and  brought  on  board,*  Trontheim   applied 
to  Nansen  for  a  certificate  of  the  exact  and  scrupulous 
way  in  which  he  had   fulfilled   his   contract.     Nansen's 
a'.iswer  was :  '  No ;  a  certificate    is    not   enough.     Your 
duty   has    been    done   with    absolute   conscientiousness, 
and   you   have  thereby  rendered  a  great  service  to  the 
expedition.     I  am  commissioned  to  present  you  with  a 
gold  medal  from  our  king  in  recognition  of   the   great 
help   you   have  given  us.'     With    these  words    Nansen 
handed  to  Trontheim  a  very  large  gold   medal  with  a 
crown  on  it.     On   the  obverse  is  the  following  inscrip. 
tioi:   'Oscar    II.,   King   of   Norway  and  Sweden.     F'or 
the  Welfare  of  the   Brother-Nations.'     And  on   the  re- 
verse:   'Reward   for  valuable  service,  A.  I.  Trontheim.' 
Along  with  this  Nansen  also  gave  Trontheim  a  written 
testimonial  as  to  the  admirable  manner  in  which  he  had 
carried  out  his  commission,  mentioning  that  for  this  he 
had  been  rewarded  with  a  medal. 

"  Nansen  determined  to  weigh  anchor  during  the 
night  of  this  same  day,t  and  set  sail  on  his  long  voyage 
without  waiting  for  the  coal  sloop  Urania,  which  he 
thought  must  have  been  delayed  by  the  ice.  In  the 
evening  Trontheim  took  leave  of  the  whole  party,  with 
hearty  wishes  for  the  success  of  the  expedition.  Along 
with  him  Herr  Ole  Christofersen,  correspondent  of  one 

*  It  will  be  observed  that  there  is  some  slip  of  memory  here  —  it  was 
the  evening  before. 

t  It  was,  in  fact,  the  day  after. 


FAREWELL    TO  NORWAY 


145 


of  the  chief  London  newspapers,*  left  the  ship.  He  had 
accompanied  Nansen  from  Vardo.  At  parting,  Nansen 
gave  them  a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions,  Christofersen 
and  Trontheim  having  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Urania^ 
as  they  were  to  go  home  by  her.  Precisely  at  12  o  clock 
on  the  night  between  August  4th  and  5th  the  signal  for 
starting  was  given,  and  the  Fram  stood  out  to  sea." 

On  August  7th  the  Urania  at  last  arrived.  As  I  had 
supposed,  she  had  been  stopped  by  ice,  but  had  at  last 
got  out  of  it  uninjured.  Christofersen  and  Trontheim 
were  able  to  sail  for  home  in  her  on  the  nth,  and 
reached  Vardo  on  the  2 2d,  food  having  been  very  scarce 
during  the  last  part  of  the  time.  The  ship,  which  had 
left  her  home  port,  Brono,  in  May,  was  not  provided  for 
so  long  a  voyage,  and  these  last  days  they  lived  chiefly 
on  dry  biscuits,  water,  and — weevils. 


i 


i 


*  I  do  not  believe  that  Christofersen  ever  in  his  life  had  anything  to 
do  with  a  London  newspaper. 


i;!*i 


CHAPTER   V 


VOYAGE   THROUGH    THE    KARA    SEA 


iW 


II 


A  H!^ 


It  was  well   into   the  night,  after  Christofersen  and 
Trontheim  had  left  us,  before  we  could  get  away.     The 
channel  was  too  dangerous  for  us  to  risk  it  in  the  thick 
fog.     But  it  cleared  a  little,  and  the  petroleum  launch 
was  got  ready;  I  had  determined  to  go  on  ahead  with 
it   and    take   soundings.      We   started   about    midnight. 
Hansen  stood  in  the  bow  with  the  lead-line.     First  we 
bore  over  towards  the  point  of  Vaigats  to  the  north- 
west, as   Palander  directs,  then  on    through    the   strait, 
keeping  to  the  Vaigats  side.     The  fog  was  often  so  thick 
that  it  was  with  dlf^culty  we  could  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  Fram,  which  followed  close  behind  us,  and  on  board 
the  Fram  they  could  not  see  our   boat.     But   so   long 
as  we  had  enough  water,  and  so  long  as  we  saw  that 
they  were  keeping  to  the  right  course  behind  us,  we 
went  ahead.     Soon  the  fog  cleared  again  a  litde.     But 
the  depth  was  not  quite  satisfactory ;  we  had  been  hav- 
ing steadily  4.^  to  5  fathoms ;  then  it  dropped  to  4,  and 
then  to  3i.     This  was  too  little.     We  turned  and  sicr- 
nailed  to  the  Fram  to  stop.     Then  we  held  farther  out 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


H7 


from  land  and  got  into  deeper  water,  so  that  the  Fram 
could  come  on  again  at  full  speed. 

From  time  to  time  our  petroleum  engine  took  to  its 
old  tricks  and  stopped.  I  had  to  pour  in  more  oil  to  set 
it  going  again,  and  as  I  was  standing  doing  this  the  boat 
gave  a  lurch,  so  that  a  little  oil  was  spilt  and  took  fire. 
The  burning  oil  ran  over  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  where 
a  good  dc  had  been  spilt  already.  In  an  instant  the 
whole  stern  was  in  a  blaze,  and  my  clothes,  which  were 
sprinkled  with  oil,  caught  fire.  I  had  to  rush  to  the 
bow,  and  for  a  moment  the  situation  was  a  critical  one, 
especially  as  a  big  pail  that  was  standing  full  of  oil  also 
took  fire.  As  soon  as  I  had  stopped  the  burning  of  my 
clothes  I  rushed  aft  again,  seized  the  pail,  and  poured 
the  fiaming  oil  into  the  sea,  burning  my  fingers  badly. 
At  once  the  whole  surface  of  the  water  round  was  in 
flames.  Then  I  got  hold  of  the  baler,  and  haled  water 
into  the  boat  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  soon  the  worst 
was  over.  Things  had  looked  anything  but  well  from 
the  Fram,  however,  and  they  were  standing  by  with 
ropes  and  buoys  to  throw  to  us. 

Soon  we  were  out  of  Yugor  Strait.  There  was  now 
so  little  fog  that  the  low  land  round  us  was  visible,  and 
we  could  also  sec  a  little  way  out  to  sea,  and,  in  the  dis- 
tance, all  drift-ice.  At  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  (August 
4th)  we  glided  past  Sokolii,  or  Hawk  Island,  out  into  the 
dreaded  Kara  Sea. 

Now  our  fate  was  to  be  decided.     I  had  always  said 


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that  if  we  could  get  safely  arross  the  Kara  Sea  and  past 
Cape  Cheliuskin,  the  worst  would  be  over.  Our  pros- 
pects were  not  bad— an  open  passage  to  the  east,  along 
the  land,  as  far  as  we  could  see  from  the  masthead. 


LANDING    ON    YALMAL 

(By  Otto  Siuding,from  a  Photograph) 

An  hour  and  a  half  later  we  were  at  the  edge  of  the 
ice.  It  was  so  close  that  there  was  no  use  in  attempting 
to  go  on  through  it.  To  the  northwest  it  seemed  much 
looser,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  blue  in  the  atmos. 
phere  at  the  horizon  there.*     We  kept  southeast  along 

*  There  is  a  white  reflection  from  white  ice,  so  that  the  sky  above 
fields  of  ice  has  a  light  or  whitish  appearance;  wherever  there  is  open 
water  it  is  blue  or  dark.  In  this  way  the  Arctic  navigator  can  judge  by 
the  appearance  of  the  sky  what  is  the  state  of  the  sea  at  a  considerable 
distance. 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE   KARA   SEA 


'49 


the  land  through  broken  ice,  but  in  the  course  of  the  day 
went  further  out  to  sea,  the  blueness  of  the  atmosphere 
to  the  east  and  northeast  promising  more  open  water  in 
that  direction.  However,  about  3  p.m.  the  ice  became 
su  close  that  I  thought  it  best  to  get  back  into  the  open 
channel  along  the  land.  It  was  certainly  possible  that 
we  might  have  forced  our  way  through  the  ice  in  the 
sea  here,  but  also  possible  that  we  might  have  stuck  fast, 
and  it  was  too  early  to  run  this  risk. 

Next  morning  (August  5th),  being  then  off  the  coast 
near  to  the  mouth  of  the  River  Kara,  we  steered  across 
towards  Yalmal.  We  soon  had  that  low  land  in  sight, 
but  in  the  afternoon  we  got  into  fog  and  close  ice.  Next 
day  it  was  no  better,  and  we  made  fast  to  a  great  ice- 
block  which  was  lying  stranded  off  the  Yalmal  coast. 

In  the  evening  some  of  us  went  on  shore.  The  water 
was  so  shallow  that  our  boat  stuck  fast  a  good  way  from 
the  beach,  and  we  had  to  wade.  It  was  a  perfectly  flat, 
smooth  sand- beach,  covered  by  the  sea  at  full  tide,  and 
beyond  that  a  steep  sand  -  bank,  30  to  40  feet,  in  some 
places  probably  60  feet,  high. 

We  wandered  about  a  little.  Flat,  bare  country  on 
every  hand.  Any  driftwood  we  saw  was  buried  in  the 
sand  and  soaking  wet.  Not  a  bird  to  be  seen  except 
one  or  two  snipe.  We  came  to  a  lake,  and  out  of  the 
fog  in  front  of  me  I  heard  the  cry  of  a  loon,  but  saw  no 
living  creature.  Our  view  was  blocked  by  a  wall  of  fog 
whichever  way  we  turned.     There  were  plenty  of  rein- 


ISO 


FAR2WES2'  NORTH 


,n  !    1 


deer  tracks,  but  of  course  they  were  only  those  of  the 
Samoyedes'  tame  reindeer.  This  is  the  land  of  the 
Samoyedes  —  and  oh  but  it  is  desolate  and  mournful! 
The   only  one   of    us    that    bagged    anything   was    the 


THE  PLAIN  OF  YALMAL 

(By  Otto  Si>tding,jrom  a  Photograph) 

botanist.  Beautiful  flowers  smiled  to  us  here  and  there 
among  the  sand  -  mounds  —  the  one  message  from  a 
brighter  world  in  this  land  of  fogs.  We  went  far  in  over 
the  flats,  but  came  only  to  sheets  of  water,  with  low  spits 
running  out  into  them,  and  ridges  between.  We  often 
heard  the  cry  of  loons  on  the  water,  but  could  never 
catch  sight  of  one.  All  these  lakelets  were  of  a  remark- 
able, exactly  circular  conformation,  with  steep  banks  all 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


151 


round,  just  as  if  each  had  dug  out  a  hole  for  itself  in  the 
sandy  plain. 

With  the  oars  of  our  boat  and  a  large  tarpaulin  we 
had  made  a  sort  of  tent.  We  were  lucky  enough  to  find 
a  little  dry  wood,  and  soon  the  tent  was  filled  with  the 
fragrant  odor  of  hot  coffee.  When  we  had  eaten  and 
drunk  and  our  pipes  were  lit,  Johansen,  in  spite  of  fa- 
tigue and  a  full  meal,  surprised  us  by  turning  one  som- 
ersault after  another  on  the  heavy,  damp  sand  in  front 
of  the  tent  in  his  long  military  cloak  and  sea-boots  half 
full  of  water. 

By  6.30  next  morning  we  were  on  board  again.  The 
fog  had  cleared,  but  the  ice,  which  lay  drifting  back- 
ward and  forward  according  to  the  set  of  the  tide, 
looked  as  close  as  ever  towards  the  north.  Durino-  the 
morning  we  had  a  visit  from  a  boat  with  two  stalwart 
Samoyedes,  who  were  well  received  and  treated  to  food 
and  tobacco.  They  gave  us  to  understand  that  they 
were  living  in  a  tent  some  distance  inland  and  farther 
north.  Presently  they  went  off  again,  enriched  with 
gifts.     These  were  the  last  human  beings  we  met. 

Next  day  the  ice  was  still  close,  and,  as  there  was 
nothing  else  to  be  done,  some  of  us  went  ashore  again 
in  the  afternoon,  partly  to  see  more  of  this  little-known 
coast,  and  partly,  if  possible,  to  find  the  Samoyedes' 
camp,  and  get  hold  of  some  skins  and  reindeer  flesh. 
It  is  a  strange,  flat  country.  Nothing  but  sand,  sand 
everywhere.      Still   flatter,  still  more  desolate   than  the 


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152 


FARTHES7  NORTH 


country  about  Yugor  Strait,  with  a  still  wider  horizon 
Over  the  plain  lay  a  green  carpet  of  grass  and  moss 
liere  and  there  spoiled  by  the  wind  having  torn  it  up  and 
swept  sand  over  it.  But  trudge  as  we  might,  and  search 
as  we  might,  v/e  found  no  Samoyede  camp.      We  saw 


IN   THE    KARA    SKA 

three  men  in  the  far  distance,  but  they  went  off  as  fast 
as  they  could  the  moment  they  caught  sight  of  us 
There  was  little  game-just  a  few  ptarmigan,  golden 
plovers,  and  long -tailed  ducks.  Our  chief  gain  was 
another  collection  of  plants,  and  a  few  geological  and 
geographical  notes.  Our  observations  showed  that  the 
land  at  this  place  was  charted  not  less  than  half  a  degree 
or  36  to  T,Z  minutes  too  far  west. 

It  was  not  till  next  forenoon  (August  9th)  that  we 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


'53 


went  on  board  again.     The  ice  to  the  north  now  seemed 
to  be  rather  looser,  and  at  8  p.m.  we  at  last  began  once 
more  to  make  our  way  north.     We  found  ice  that  was 
easy  to  get  through,  and  held  on  our  course  until,  three 
days  later,  we  got  into  open  water.     On  Sunday,  August 
1 8th,  we  stood  out  into  the  open  Kara  Sea,  past  the  north 
point    of    Yalmal    and    Bieloi  -  Ostrov    (White    Island). 
There  was  no  ice  to  be  seen  in  any  direction.      During 
the  days  that  followed  we  had  constant  strong  east  winds, 
often  increasing  to  half  a  gale.     We  kept  on  tacking  to 
make  our  way  eastward,  but  the  broad  and  keelless  Fram 
can  hardly  be  called  a  good  "beater";  we  made  too  much 
leeway,  and  our  progress  was  correspondingly  slow.     In 
the    journal    there    is    a   constantly    recurring    entry  of 
"  Head  -  wind,"  "  Head  -  wind."     The   monotony  was   ex^ 
treme ;  but  as  they  may  be  of  interest  as  relating  to  the 
navigation  of  this  sea,  I  shall  give  the  most  important 
items  of  the  journal,  especiahy  those  regarding  the  state 
of  the  ice. 

On  Monday,  August  14th,  we  beat  with  only  sail 
against  a  strong  wind.  Single  pieces  of  ice  were  seen 
during  the  middle  watch,  but  after  that  there  was  none 
within  siffht. 

Tuesday,  August  15th.  The  wind  slackened  in  the 
middle  watch ;  we  took  in  sail  and  got  up  steam.  At  5 
in  the  morning  we  steamed  away  east  over  a  sea  perfectly 
clear  of  ice ;  but  after  mid-day  the  wind  began  to  freshen 
again  from  E.N.E.,  and  we  had  to  beat  with  steam  and 


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154 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


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sail.     Single  floes  of  ice  were  seen  during  the  evening 
and  night. 

Wednesday,  August  i6th.     As  the  Kara  Sea  seemed 
so  extraordinarily  free  from  ice,  and  as  a  heavy  sea  was 
running  from  the  northeast,  we  decided  to  hold  north  as 
far  as  we  could,  even  if  it  should  be  to  the  Einsamkeit 
(Lonely)  Island.      But  about  half-past  three  in  the  after- 
noon we  had  a  strip  of  close  ice  ahead,  so  that  we  had  to 
turn.     Stiff  breeze  and  sea.     Kept  on  beating  east  along 
the  edge  of  the  ice.      Almost  lost  the  petroleum  launch 
in  the  evening.      The  waves  were  constantly  breaking 
into  it  and  filling  it,  the  gunwale  was  burst  in  at  two 
places,  and  the  heavy  davits  it  hung  on  were  twisted  as 
if  they  had  been  copper  wires.     Only  just  in  the  nick  of 
time,  with  the  waves  washing  over  us,  some  of  us  managed 
to  get  it  lashed  to  the  side  of  the  ship.     There  seemed  to 
be  some  fatality  about  this  boat. 

Thursday,  August  1 7th.  Still  beating  eastward  under 
sail  and  steam  through  scattered  ice,  and  along  a  margin 
of  fixed  ice.  Still  blowing  hard,  with  a  heavy  sea  as  so^'on 
as  we  headed  a  little  out  from  the  ice. 

Friday,  August  1 8th.  Continued  storm.  Stood  south- 
east. At  4.30  A.M.,  Sve'rdrup,  who  had  gone  up  into 
the  crow's-nest  to  look  out  for  bears  and  walrus  on  the 
ice-floes,  saw  land  to  the  south  of  us.  At  10  a.m.  I  went 
up  to  look  at  it— we  were  then  probably  not  more  than 
10  miles  away  from  it.  It  was  low  land,  seemingly  of 
the  same  formation  as   Yalmal,  with  steep  sand-banks, 


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lower  as  we 
i^ui  lai  iroin  us,  small  icebergs  lay  aground. 
The  lead  showed  steadily  less  and  less  water;  by  11.30 
A.M.  there  were  only  some  8  fathoms ;   then,  to  our  sur- 
prise,  the  bottom  suddenly  fell  to  20  fathoms,  and  after 
that  we  found  steadily  increasing  depth.     Between  the 
land  and  the  blocks  of  stranded  ice  on  our  lee  there  ap- 
peared to  be  a  channel  with  rather  deeper  water  and  not 
so  much  ice  aground  in  it.    It  seemed  difificult  to  conceive 
that  there  should  be  undiscovered  land  here,  where  both 
Nordenskibld  and  Edward  Johansen,  and  possibly  sever- 
al  Russians,  had  passed  without  seeing  anything.     Our 
observations,  however,  were  incontestable,  and  we  imme- 
diately named  the  land  Sverdrup's  Island,  after  its  dis- 
coverer. 

As  there  was  still  a  great  deal  of  ice  to  windward,  we 
continued  our  southwesterly  course,  keeping  as  close  to 
the  wind  as  possible.  The  weather  was  clear,  and  at  8 
o'clock  we  sighted  the  mainland,  with  Dickson's  Island 
ahead.  It  had  been  our  intention  to  run  in  and  anchor 
here,  in  order  to  put  letters  for  home  under  a  cai'rn, 
Captain  Wiggins  having  promised  to  pick  them  up  on  his 
way  to  the  Yenisei.  But  in  the  meantime  the  wind  had 
fallen :  it  was  a  favorable  chance,  and  time  was  precious. 
So  gave  up  sending  our  post,  and  continued  our  course 
along  the  coast. 

The  country  here  was  quite  different  from  Yalmal. 
Though   not   very   high,   it  was   a  hilly   country,    with 


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158 


FAKTIIEST  NORTH 


patches  and  even  large  drifts  of  snow  here  and  there, 
some  of  them  lying  close  down  by  the  shore.  Next 
morning  I  sighted  the  southernmost  of  the  Kamenni 
Islands.     We  took  a  tack  in  under  it  to  see  if  there  were 


OSTROVA     KAMENNI    (roCKY    ISLAND),  OFF   THK    COAST 

OF    SIHERIA 


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animals   of  any   kind,  but   could   catch   sight    of   none. 
The  island  rose  evenly  from  the  sea  at  all  points,  with 
steep  shores.     They  consisted  for  the  most  part  of  rock, 
which  was  partly  solid,  partly  broken  up  by  the  action  of 
the  weather  into  heaps  of  stones.     It  appeared  to  be  a 
stratified  rock,  with  strongly  marked  oblique  strata.     The 
island  was  also  covered  with  quantities  of  gravel,  some- 
times   mixed    with    larger    stones;    the    whole    of    the 
northern   point   seemed   to    be  a  sand  heap,   with  steep 
sand-banks    towards   the  shore.      The   most    noticeable 
feature  of  the  island  was  its  marked  shore-lines.     Near 
the  top  there  was  a  specially  pronounced  one,  which  was 
like  a  sharp  ledge   on    the   west   and   north  sides,  and 
stretched  across  the  island  like  a  dark  band.     Nearer  the 
beach  were  several  other  distinct  ones.      In  form  they  alt 


Ji' 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THK  KARA   SEA 


'59 


resembled  the  upper  one  with  its  steep  ledges,  and  had 
evidently  been  formed  in  the  .same  way — by  the  action  of 
the  sea,  and  more  especially  of  the  ice.  Like  the  upper 
one,  they  also  were  most  marked  on  the  west  and  north 
sides  of  the  island,  which  are  those  facing  most  to  the 
open  sea. 

To  the  student  of  the  history  of  the  earth  these  marks 
of  the  former  level  of  the  sea  are  of  great  interest,  show- 
ing  as  they  do  that  the  land  has  risen  or  the  sea  sunk 
since  the  time  they  were  formed.  Like  Scandinavia,  the 
whole  of  the  north  coast  of  Siberia  has  undergone  these 
changes  of  level  since  the  Great  Ice  Age. 

It  was  strange  that  we  saw  none  of  the  islands  which, 
according  to  Nordenskiold's  map,  stretch  in  a  line  to  the 
northeast  from  Kamenni  Islands.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
took  the  bearings  of  one  or  two  other  islands  lying  almost 
due  east,  and  next  morning  we  passed  a  small  island  far- 
ther north. 

We  saw  few  birds  in  this  neighborhood — only  a  few- 
flocks  of  geese,  some  Arctic  gulls  {Lestris  parasitica  and 
Z.  biiffonii),  and  a  few  sea-gulls  and  tern. 

On  Sunday,  August  20th,  we  had,  for  us,  uncommon- 
ly fine  weather— blue  sea,  brilliant  sunshine,  and  light 
wind,  still  from  the  northeast.  In  the  afternoon  we  ran 
in  to  the  Kjellman  Islands.  These  we  could  recognize 
from  their  position  on  Nordenskiold's  map,  but  south 
of  them  we  found  many  unknown  ones.  They  all  had 
smoothly    rounded    forms,  these    Kjellman    Islands,  like 


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FARTHEST  NORTH 


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rocks  that  have  been  ground  smooth  by  the  glaciers  of 
the  Ice    Age.     The   Fram  anchored  on  the  north  side 
of  the  largest  of  them,  and  while  the  boiler  was  being 
refitted,  some  of  us  went  ashore  in  the  evening  for  some 
shooting.     We   had   not  left  the   ship  when  the  mate, 
from    the    crow's  -  nest,  caught    sight    of    reindeer.      At 
once  we  were  all  agog;  every  one  wanted  to  go  ashore, 
and  the  mate  was  quite  beside  himself  with  the  hunter's 
fever,  his  eyes  as  big  as  saucers,  and  his  hands  trembling 
as  though  he  were  drunk.     Not  until  we  were  in  the  boat 
had  we  time  to  look  seriously  for  the  mate's  reindeer. 
We  looked  in  vain — not  a  living  thing  was  to  be  seen  in 
any  direction.     Yes — when  we  were  close  inshore  we  at 
last  descried  a  large  flock  of  geese  waddling  upward  from 
the  beach.     We  were  base  enough  to  let  a  conjecture 
escape  us  that  these  were  the  mate's  reindeer a  sus- 
picion which  he  at  first  rejected  with  contempt.     Gradu- 
ally, however,  his  confidence  oozed  away.     But  it  is  pos- 
sible to  do  an  injustice  even  to  a  mate.     The  first  thino- 
I  saw  when    I   sprang  ashore  was  old  reindeer  tracks. 
The  mate  had  now  the  laugh  on  his  side,  ran  from  track 
to  track,  and  swore  that  it  was  reindeer  he  had  seen. 

When  we  got  up  on  to  the  first  height  we  saw  several 
reindeer  on  flat  ground  to  the  south  of  us;  but,  the  wind 
being  fioin  the  north,  we  had  to  go  back  and  make  our 
way  south  along  the  shore  till  we  got  to  leeward  of  them. 
The  only  one  who  did  not  approve  of  this  plan  was  the 
mate,  who  was  in  a  state  of  feverish  eagerness  to  rush 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA  SEA 


l6l 


Straight  at  some  reindeer  he  thought  he  had  seen  to  the 
east,  which,  of  course,  was  an  absolutely  certain  way  to 
clear  the  field  of  every  one  of  them.     He  asked  and  re- 


THKODOR    C.  JACOBSEN,   MATE    Or    THE  "  FRAM" 

\h'rom  ,1  rh:'to:-rnf'i,.  Daemhcr  ii,  i8i)j) 

ceived  permission  to  remain  behind  with  Hansen,  who 
was  to  take  a  magnetic  observation ;  but  had  to  promise 
not  to  move  till  he  got  the  oider. 
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1 62 


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FARTHEST  NORTH 


On  the  way  along  the  shore  we  passed  one  great  flock 
of  geese  after  another;  they  stretched  their  necks  and 
waddled  aside  a  little  until  we  were  quite  near,  and  only 
then  took  flight;  but  we  had  no  time  to  waste  on  such 
small  game.  A  little  farther  on  we  caught  sight  of  one 
or  two  reindeer  we  had  not  noticed  before.  We  could 
easily  have  stalked  them,  but  were  afraid  of  getting  to 
windward  of  the  others,  which  were  farther  south.  At 
last  we  got  to  leeward  of  these  latter  also,  but  they  were 
grazing  on  flat  ground,  and  it  was  anything  but  easy  to 
stalk  them — not  a  hillock,  not  a  stone  to  hide  behind. 
The  only  thing  was  to  form  a  long  line,  advance  as  best 
we  could,  and,  if  possible,  outflank  them.  In  the  mean- 
time we  had  caught  sight  of  another  herd  of  reindeer 
farther  to  the  north,  but  suddenly,  to  our  astonishment, 
saw  them  tear  off  across  the  plain  eastward,  in  all  proba- 
bility startled  by  the  mate,  who  had  not  been  able  to- 
keep  quiet  any  longer. 

A  little  to  the  north  of  the  reindeer  nearest  us  there 
was  a  hollow,  opening  from  the  shore,  from  which  it 
seemed  that  it  might  be  possible  to  get  a  shot  at  them. 
I  went  back  to  try  this,  while  the  others  kept  their 
places  in  the  line.  As  I  went  down  again  towards  the 
shore  I  had  the  sea  before  me,  quiet  and  beautiful.  The 
sun  had  gone  down  behind  it  not  long  before,  and  the 
sky  was  glowing  in  the  clear,  light  night.  I  had  to 
stand  still  for  a  minute.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  beauty, 
man  was  doing  the  work  of  a  beast  of  prey  I     At  this. 


I'  ':y 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


163 


moment  I  saw  to  the  north  a  dark  speck  move  down  the 
height   where   the   mate  and    Hansen   ought  to  be.     It 
divided   into  two,  and  the  one  moved  east,  just  to  the 
windward  of  the  animals  I  was  to  stalk.     They  would 
get    the    scent    immediately   and    be    off.     There    was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  hurry  on,  while  I  rained   anything 
but  good  wishes  on   these   fellows'  heads.       The   gully 
was   not   so   deep   as   I   had   expected.     Its  sides    were 
just  high  enough  to  hide  me  when  I  crept  on  all  fours. 
In    the    middle    were    large    stones    and   clayey   gravel, 
\^\i\\  a  little  runnel  soaking  through  them.     The  reindeer 
were  still    grazing   quietly,  only  now   and   then   raising 
their  heads  to  look  round.     My  "  cover  "  got  lower  and 
lower,  and  to  the  north   I  heard  the  mate.      He  would 
presently  succeed  in  setting  off  my  game.     It  was  im- 
perative  to   get    on    quickly,  but    there  was   no  longer 
cover  enough  for  me  to  advance  on  hands  and   knees. 
My  only  chance  was  to  wriggle  forward  like  a  snake  on 
my  stomach.     But  in  this  soft  clay — in  the  bed  of  the 
stream .?     Yes — meat  is  too  precious  on  board,  and  the 
beast  of  prey  is  too  strong  in  a  man.     My  clothes  must 
be  sacrificed;    on   I  crept  on  my  stomach  through  the 
mud.     But  soon  there  was  hardly  cover  enough  even  for 
this.      I    squeezed    myself   fiat   among   the   stones    and 
ploughed  forward  like  a  drain-cutting  machine.     And  I 
did  make  way,  if  not  quickly  and  comfortably,  still  surely. 
All  this  time  the  sky  was  turning  darker  and  darker 
red    behind    me,  and    it    was    getting    more    and    more 


!«rWHi#%M*impt«l"" 


164 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


% 


difficult  to  use  the  sights  of  my  gun,  not  to  mention 
the  trouble  I  had  in  keeping  the  clay  from  them  and 
from  the  muzzle.  The  reindeer  still  grazed  quietly  on. 
When  they  raised  their  heads  to  look  round  I  had  to  lie 
as  quiet  as  a  mouse,  feeling  the  water  trickling  gently 
under  my  stomach ;  when  they  began  to  nibble  the 
moss  again,  off  I  went  through  the  mud.  Presently  I 
made  the  disagreeable  discovery  that  they  were  moving 
away  from  me  about  as  fast  as  I  could  move  forward, 
and  I  had  to  redouble  my  exertions.  But  the  darkness 
was  getting  worse  and  worse,  and  I  had  the  mate  to 
the  north  of  me,  and  presently  he  would  start  them  off. 
The  outlook  was  anything  but  bright  either  morally 
or  physically.  The  hollow  was  getting  shallower  and 
shallower,  so  that  I  was  hardly  covered  at  all.  I 
squeezed  myself  still  deeper  into  the  mud.  A  turn  in 
the  ground  helped  me  forward  to  the  next  little  height; 
and  now  they  were  right  in  front  of  me,  within  what  I 
should  have  called  easy  range  if  it  had  been  daylight.  I 
tried  to  take  aim,  but  could  not  see  the  bead  on  my  gun. 
Man's  fate  is  sometimes  hard  to  bear.  My  clothes 
were  dripping  with  wet  clay,  and  after  what  seemed 
to  me  most  meritorious  exertions,  here  I  was  at  the 
goal,  unable  to  take  advantage  of  my  position.  But 
now  the  reindeer  moved  down  into  a  small  depression. 
I  crept  forward  a  little  way  farther  as  quickly  as  I  could. 
I  was  in  a  splendid  position,  so  far  as  I  could  tell  in  the 
dark,  but    I   could    not   see   the   bead   any   better   than 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE   KARA    SEA 


165 


before.  It  was  impossible  to  get  nearer,  for  there  was 
only  a  smooth  slope  between  us.  There  was  no  sense 
in  thinking  of  waiting  for  light  to  shoot  by.  It  was  now 
midnight,  and  I  had  that  terrible  mate  to  the  north  of 
me ;  besides,  the  wind  was  not  to  be  trusted.  I  held  the 
rifle  up  against  the  sky  to  see  the  bead  clearly,  and  then 
lowered  it  on  the  reindeer.  I  did  this  once,  twice,  thrice. 
The  bead  was  still  far  from  clear;  but,  all  the  same,  I 
thought  I  might  hit,  and  pulled  the  trigger.  The  two 
deer  gave  a  sudden  start,  looked  round  in  astonishment, 
and  bolted  off  a  little  way  south.  There  they  stood  still 
again,  and  at  this  moment  were  joined  by  a  third  deer, 
which  had  been  standing  rather  farther  north.  I  fired 
off  all  the  cartridges  in  the  magazine,  and  all  to  the  same 
good  purpose.  The  creatures  started  and  moved  off  a 
little  at  each  shot,  and  then  trotted  farther  south.  Pres- 
ently they  made  another  halt,  to  take  a  long  careful  look 
at  me ;  and  I  dashed  off  westward,  as  hard  as  I  could 
run,  to  turn  them.  Now  they  were  off  straight  in  the 
direction  where  some  of  my  comrades  ought  to  be.  I 
expected  every  moment  to  hear  shots  and  see  one  or  two 
of  the  animals  fall;  but  away  they  ambled  southward, 
quite  unchecked.  At  last,  far  to  the  south,  crack  went 
a  rifle.  I  could  see  by  the  smoke  that  it  was  at  too  long 
a  range ;  so  in  high  dudgeon  I  shouldered  my  rifle  and 
lounged  in  the  direction  of  the  shot.  It  was  pleasant  to 
see  such  a  good  result  for  all  one's  trouble. 

No  one  was  to  be  seen  anywhere.     At  length  I  met 


m 

ill 


1 66 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


Sverdrup;    it  was    he  who    had    fired.      Soon    Blessing 
joined   us,  but  all  the  others  had  long  since  left  their 
posts.      While  Blessing  went  back  to  the  boat  and  his 
botanizing  box,  Sverdrup  and  I  went  on  to  try  our  luck 
once  more.     A  little  farther  south  we  came  to  a  valley 
stretching  right  across  the  island.     On  the  farther  side 
of  it  we  saw  a  man  standing  on  a  hillock,  and  not  far 
from  him  a  herd  of  five  or  six  reindeer.     As  it  never 
occurred  to  us  to  doubt  that  the  man  was  in  the  act  of 
stalking  these,  we  avoided  going  in  that  direction,  and 
soon  he  and  his  reindeer  disappeared  to  the  west.     I 
heard  afterwards  that  he  had  never  seen  the  deer.     As 
it  was  evident  that  when  the  reindeer  to  the  south  of  us 
were  startled  they  would  have  to  come  back  across  this 
valley,  and  as  the  island  at  this  part  was  so  narrow  that 
we  commanded  the  whole  of  it,  we  determined  to  take 
up  our  posts  here  and  wait.     We  accordingly  got  in  the 
lee  of  some  great  boulders,  out  of  the  wind.     In  front  of 
Sverdrup  was  a  large  flock  of  geese,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  stream,  close  down  by  the  shore.     They  kept  up  an 
incessant  gabble,  and  the  temptation  to  have  a  shot  at 
them  was  very  great ;   but,  considering  the  reindeer,  we 
thought  it  best  to  leave  them  in  peace.     They  gabbled 
and  waddled  away  down  through  the  mud  and  soon  took 
wing. 

The  time  seemed  long.  At  first  we  listened  with  all 
our  ears — the  reindeer  must  come  very  soon — and  our 
eyes  wandered  incessantly  backward  and  forward  along 


HENRIK    BLESSING 

(From  a  photograph  taken  in  IS'Ju) 


I 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  7 HE  KARA   SEA 


169 


the  slope  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley.  But  no  reindeer 
came,  and  soon  we  were  having  a  struggle  to  keep  our 
eyes  open  and  our  heads  up — we  had  not  had  much  sleep 
the  last  few  days.  They  must  be  coming !  We  shook 
ourselves  awake,  and  gave  another  look  along  the  bank, 
till  again  the  eyes  softly  closed  and  the  heads  began  to 
nod,  while  the  chill  wind  blew  through  our  wet  clothes, 
and  I  shivered  with  cold.  This  sort  of  thing  went  on  for 
an  hour  or  two,  until  the  sport  began  to  pall  on  me,  and 
I  scrambled  from  my  shelter  along  towards  Sverdrup, 
who  was  enjoying  it  about  as  much  as  I  was.  We 
climbed  the  slope  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  and 
were  hardly  at  the  top  before  we  saw  the  horns  of  six 
splendid  reindeer  on  a  height  in  front  of  us.  They  were 
restless,  scenting  westward,  trotting  round  in  a  circle, 
and  then  sniffing  again.  They  could  not  have  noticed 
us  as  yet,  as  the  wind  was*  blowing  at  right  angles  to  the 
line  between  them  and  us.  We  stood  a  long  time 
watching  their  manoeuvres,  and  waiting  their  choice  of 
a  direction,  but  they  had  apparently  great  difficulty  in 
making  it.  At  last  off  they  swung  south  and  east,  and 
off  we  went  southeast  as  hard  as  we  could  go,  to  o-et 
across  their  course  before  they  got  scent  of  us.  Sverdrup 
had  got  well  ahead,  and  I  saw  him  rushing  across  a  flat 
piece  of  ground :  presently  he  would  be  at  the  right  place 
to  meet  them.  I  stopped,  to  be  in  readiness  to  cut  them 
off  on  the  other  side  if  they  should  face  about  and  make 
off  northward  again.     There  were  six  splendid  animals, 


■VL 


'4'* ' 


170 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\i 


a  big  buck  in   front.     They  were   heading  straight   for 

Sverdrup,  who  was   now  crouching  down  on  the  slope. 

I  expected  every  moment  to  see  the  foremost  fall.     A 

shot   rang   out !     Round  wheeled   the   whole   flock   like 

lightning,  and  back  they  came  at  a  gallop.     It  was  my 

turn  now  to  run  with  all  my  might,  and  off  I  went  over 

the  stones,  down  towards  the  valley  we  had  come  from. 

\  only  stopped  once  or  twice  to  take  breath,  and  to  make 

sure  that  the  animals  were  coming  in  the  direction  I  had 

reckoned  on — then    off   again.     We   were  getting  near 

each  other  now;  they  were  coming  on  just  where  I  had 

calculated;  the  thing  now  was  to  be  in  time  for  them. 

I  made  my  long  legs  go  their  fastest  over  the  boulders, 

and  took  leaps  from  stone  to   stone  that  would    have 

surprised  myself  at  a  more  sober  moment.     More  than 

once  my  foot  slipped,  and  I  went  down  head  first  among 

the  boulders,  gun  and  all.     But  the  wild  beast  in  me  had 

the  upper  hand  now.     The  passion  of  the  chase  vibrated 

through  every  fibre  of  my  body. 

We  reached  the  slant  of  the  valley  almost  at  the  same 
time — a  leap  or  two  to  get  up  on  some  big  boulders,  and 
the  moment  had  come — I  must  shoot,  thousfh  the  shot 
was  a  long  one.  When  the  smoke  cleared  away  I  saw 
the  big  buck  trailing  a  broken  hind -leg.  When  their 
leader  stopped,  the  whole  flock  turned  and  ran  in  a  ring 
round  the  poor  animal.  They  could  not  understand 
what  was  happening,  and  strayed  about  wildly  with  the 
balls  whistling  round  them.     Then  off  they  went  down 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


171 


the  side  of  the  valley  again,  leaving  another  of  their 
number  behind  with  a  broken  leg.  I  tore  after  them, 
across  the  valley  and  up  the  other  side,  in  the  hope  of 
getting  another  shot,  but  gave  that  up  and  turned  back 
to  make  sure  of  the  two  wounded  ones.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  valley  stood  one  of  the  victims  awaiting  its  fate. 
It  looked  imploringly  at  me,  and  then,  just  as  I  was  go- 
ing forward  to  shoot  it,  made  off  much  quicker  than  I 
could  have  thought  it  possible  for  an  animal  on  three 
legs  to  go.  Sure  of  my  shot,  of  course  I  missed;  and 
now  began  a  chase,  which  ended  in  the  poor  beast, 
blocked  in  every  other  direction,  rushing  down  towards 
the  sea  and  wading  into  a  small  lagoon  on  the  shore, 
whence  I  feared  it  might  get  right  out  into  the  sea.  At 
last  it  got  its  quietus  there  in  the  water.  The  other  one 
was  not  far  off,  and  a  ball  soon  put  an  end  to  its  suffer- 
ings also.  As  I  was  proceeding  to  rip  it  up,  Henriksen 
and  Johansen  appeared ;  they  had  just  shot  a  bear  a  little 
farther  south. 

After  disembowelling  the  reindeer,  we  went  towards 
the  boat  again,  meeting  Sverdrup  on  the  way.  It  was 
now  well  on  in  the  morning,  and  as  I  considered  that  we 
had  already  spent  too  much  time  here,  I  was  impatient 
to  push  northward.  While  Sverdrup  and  some  of  the 
others  went  on  board  to  get  ready  for  the  start,  the  rest 
of  us  rowed  south  to  fetch  our  two  reindeer  and  our 
bear.  A  strong  breeze  had  begun  to  blow  from  the 
northeast,  and  as  it  would  be  hard  work  for  us  to  row 


fit 


172 


FARTIIKST  NORTir 


M       > 


ll 


back  against  it,  I  had  asked  Sveidiu])  to  come  and  meet 
us  with  the  Fram,  if  the  soundings  permitted  of  his  do- 
ing so.     We  saw  quantities  of  seal  and  white  fish  along 


A    DEAD    BEAR    ON    REINDEER    ISLAND   (AUGUST    2  1,    1893) 

(From  a  I'hotogra/'h) 

the  shore,  but  we  had  not  time  to  go  after  them ;  all  we 
wanted  now  was  to  get  south,  and  in  the  first  place  to 
pick  up  the  bear.  When  we  came  near  the  place  where 
we  expected  to  find  it,  we  did  see  a  large  white  heap 
resembling  a  bear  lying  on  the  ground,  and  I  was  sure  it 
must  be  the  dead  one,  but  Henriksen  maintained  that  it 
was  not.  We  went  ashore  and  approached  it,  as  it  lay 
motionless  on  a  grassy  bank.     I  still  felt  a  strong  sus- 


yOVAGi:    THROUGH   THE  KARA   SEA 


•73 


picion  that  it  had  ah-oady  had  all  the  shot  it  wanted. 
We  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  but  it  gave  no  sign  of  life. 
I  looked  into  Henriksen's  honest  face,  to  make  sure  that 
they  were  not  playing  a  trick  on  me;  but  he  was  staring 
fixedly  at  the  bear.  As  I  looked,  two  shots  went  off,  and 
to  my  astonishment  the  great  creature  bounded  into  the 
air,  still  dazed  with  sleep.  Poor  beast !  it  was  a  harsh 
awakening.     Another  shot,  and  it  fell  lifeless. 

We  first  tried  to  drag  the  bears  down  to  the  boat,  but 


11 


I 


lift     ^*  ""^      -«••    ""  i-**         *ifc-.  JUm"!  ■ '  -    ■"   _^      ^  -_-  ^s, — ^-       ^  _         ^ 


.j^t*.. 


"  WE    FIRST    TRIED    TO    DRAG   THE    HEARS  " 

(By  A.  Eiebakke,froin  a  P/wlograph) 

they  w-re  too  heavy  for  us;  and  we  now  had  a  hard 
piece  ot  work  skinning  and  cutting  them  up,  and  carry- 
ing down  all  we  wanted.  But,  bad  as  it  was,  trudsins 
through  the  soft  clay  with  heavy  quarters  of  bear  on  our 


l^il 


174 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


m 


:1,1 


^\ 


backs,  there  was  worse  awaiting  us  on  the  beach.  The 
tide  had  risen,  and  at  the  same  time  the  waves  had  got 
larger  and  swamped  the  boat,  and  were  now  breaking 
over  it.  Guns  and  ammunition  were  soaking  in  the 
water;  bits  of  bread,  our  only  provision,  floated  round, 
and  the  butter-dish  lay  at  the  bottom,  with  no  butter  in 
it.  It  required  no  small  exertion  to  get  the  boat  drawn 
up  out  of  this  heavy  surf  and  emptied  of  water.  Luckily, 
it  had  received  no  injury,  as  the  beach  was  of  a  soft  sand; 
but  the  sand  had  penetrated  with  the  water  everywhere, 
even  into  the  most  delicate  parts  of  the  locks  of  our 
rifles.  But  worst  of  all  was  the  loss  of  our  provisions,  for 
now  we  were  ravenously  hungry.  We  had  to  make  the 
best  of  a  bad  business,  and  eat  pieces  of  bread  soaked 
in  sea-water  and  flavored  with  several  varieties  of  dirt. 
On  this  occasion,  too,  I  lost  my  sketch-book,  with  some 
sketches  that  were  of  value  to  me. 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  get  our  heavy  game  into  the 
boat  with  these  big  waves  breaking  on  the  flat  beach. 
We  had  to  keep  the  boat  outside  the  surf,  and  haul  both 
skins  and  flesh  on  board  with  a  line ;  a  good  deal  of  water 
came  with  them,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it.  And  then 
we  had  to  row  north  along  the  shore  against  the  wind  and 
sea  as  hard  as  we  could.  It  was  very  tough  work.  The 
wind  had  increased,  and  it  was  all  we  could  do  to  make 
headway  against  it.  Seals  were  diving  round  us,  wh?.te 
whales  coming  and  going,  but  we  had  no  eyes  for  them 
now.     Suddenly  Henriksen  called  out  that  there  was  a 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE   KARA   SEA 


'75 


bear  on  the  point  in  front.  I  turned  round,  and  there 
stood  a  beautiful  white  fellow  rummaging  among  the 
flotsam  on  the  beach.  As  we  had  no  time  to  shoot  it,  we 
rowed  on,  and  it  went  slowly  in  front  of  us  northward 
along  the  shore.  At  last,  with  great  exertions,  we  reached 
the  bay  where  we  were  to  put  in  for  the  reindeer.  The 
bear  was  there  before  us.  It  had  not  seen  the  boat 
hitherto ;  but  now  it  got  scent  of  us,  and  came  nearer. 
It  was  a  tempting  shot.  I  had  my  finger  on  the  trigger 
several  times,  but  did  not  draw  it.  After  all,  we  had  no 
use  for  the  animal ;  it  was  quite  as  much  as  we  could 
do  to  stow  away  what  we  had  already.  It  made  a  beau- 
tiful target  of  itself  by  getting  up  on  a  stone  to  have  a 
better  scent,  and  looked  about,  and,  after  a  careful  sur- 
vey, it  turned  round  and  set  off  inland  at  an  easy  trot. 

The  surf  was  by  this  time  still  heavier.  It  was  a  flat, 
shallow  shore,  and  the  waves  broke  a  good  way  out  from 
land.  We  rowed  in  till  the  boat  touched  ground  and 
the  breakers  began  to  wash  over  us.  The  only  way  of 
getting  ashore  was  to  jump  into  the  sea  and  wade.  But 
getting  the  reindeer  on  board  was  another  matter.  There 
was  no  better  landing-place  farther  north,  and  hard  as  it 
was  to  give  up  the  excellent  meat  after  all  our  trouble, 
it  seemed  to  me  there  was  nothing  else  for  it,  and  we 
rowed  off  towards  our  ship. 

It  was  the  hardest  row  I  ever  had  a  hand  in.  It  went 
pretty  well  to  begin  with ;  we  had  the  current  with  us, 
and  got  quickly  out  from  land ;  but  presently  the  wind 


176 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


rose,  the  current  slackened,  and  wave  after  wave  broke 
over  us.  After  incredible  toil  we  had  at  last  only  a 
short  way  to  go.  I  cheered  up  the  good  fellows  as 
best  I  could,  reminding  them  of  the  smoking  hot  tea  that 
awaited  them  after  a  few  more  tough  pulls,  and  picturing 
all  the  good  things  in  store  for  them.  We  really  were 
all  pretty  well  done  up  now,  but  we  still  took  a  good  grip 
of  the  oars,  soaking  wet  as  we  were  from  the  sea  con- 
stantly breaking  over  us,  for  of  course  none  of  us  had 
thought  of  such  things  as  oilskins  in  yesterday's  beautiful 
weather.  But  we  soon  saw  that  with  all  our  pulling  and 
toiling  the  boat  was  making  no  headway  whatever.  Apart 
from  the  wind  and  the  sea  we  had  the  current  dead 
against  us  here ;  all  our  exertions  were  of  no  avail.  We 
pulled  till  our  finger-tips  felt  as  if  they  were  bursting ; 
but  the  most  we  could  manage  was  to  keep  the  boat 
where  it  was ;  if  we  slackened  an  instant  it  drifted  back. 
I  tried  to  encourage  my  comrades :  "  Now  we  made 
a  little  way!  It  was  just  strength  that  was  needed!" 
But  all  to  no  purpose.  The  wind  whistled  round 
our  ears,  and  the  spray  dashed  over  us.  It  was  mad- 
dening to  be  so  near  the  ship  that  it  seemed  as  if 
we  could  almost  reach  out  to  her,  and  yet  feel  that 
it  was  impossible  to  get  on  any  farther.  We  had  to 
go  in  under  the  land  again,  where  we  had  the  current 
with  us,  and  here  we  did  succeed  in  making  a  little 
progress.  We  rowed  hard  till  we  were  about  abreast  of 
the  ship ;  then  we  once  more  tried  to  sheer  across  to 


p 


BERNARD  NORDAHL 

(From  (I  (thotograph  taken  in  December,  AS.'/.?) 


;  t 
'I 

I 


m 


m 


II. 


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nri 

u 

( 

f  4 

ii 

VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE   KARA    SEA 


1 79 


her,  but  no  sooner  did  we  get  into  the  current  again 
than  it  mercilessly  drove  us  back.  Beaten  again !  And 
again  we  tried  the  same  manoeuvre  with  the  same  result. 
Now  we  saw  them  lowering  a  buoy  from  the  ship — if 
we  could  only  reach  it  we  were  saved;  but  we  did  not 
reach  it.  They  were  not  exactly  blessings  that  we 
poured  on  those  on  board.  Why  the  deuce  could  they 
not  bear  down  to  us  when  they  saw  the  straits  we  were 
in ;  or  why,  at  any  rate,  could  they  not  ease  up  the  an- 
chor, and  let  the  ship  drift  a  little  in  our  direction  .?  They 
saw  how  little  was  needed  to  enable  us  to  reach  them. 
Perhaps  they  had  their  reasons. 

We  would  make  our  last  desperate  attempt.  We 
went  at  it  with  a  will.  Every  muscle  was  strained  to 
the  utmost — it  was  only  the  buoy  we  had  to  reach  this 
time.  But  to  our  rage  we  now  saw  the  buoy  being 
hauled  up.  We  rowed  a  little  way  on,  to  the  windward 
of  the  Fram,  and  then  tried  again  to  sheer  over.  This 
time  we  got  nearer  her  than  we  had  ever  been  before ; 
but  we  were  disappointed  in  still  seeing  no  buoy,  and 
none  was  thrown  over;  there  was  not  even  a  man  to  be 
seen  on  deck.  We  roared  like  madmen  for  a  buoy — we 
had  no  strength  left  for  another  a:ttempt.  It  was  not  a 
pleasing  prospect  to  have  to  drift  back,  and  go  ashore 
again  in  our  wet  clothes — we  would  get  on  board  !  Once 
more  we  yelled  like  wild  Indians,  and  now  they  came 
rushing  aft  and  threw  out  the  buoy  in  our  direction. 
One  more  cry  to  my  mates  that  we  must  put  our  last 


»! 


•i 


w 


if 

i 


i8o 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


I  ? 


Strength  into  the  work.      There  were  only  a  few  boat 
lengths  to  cover;  we  bent  to  our  oars  with  a  will.     Now 
there    were    three    boat    lengths.      Another    desperate 
spurt.     Now  there  were  two  and  a  half  boat  lengths— 
presently  two  —  then   only  one  !      A  few  more  frantic 
pulls,  and  there  was  a  little  less.     "  Now,  boys,  one  or 
two  more  hard  pulls  and  it's  over !    Hard  !  hard  ! !    Keep 
to   it!      Now   another!      Don't   give   up!      One   more!: 
There,  we  have  it ! !  f      And  one  joyful  sigh  of  relief 
passed  round  the  boat.     "  Keep  the  oars  going  or  the 
rope  will   break.     Row,  boys !"     And  row  we   did,  and 
soon   they  had   hauled  us  alongside  of  the  Fram.     Not 
till  we  were  lying  there  getting  our  bearskins  and  flesh 
hauled  on  board  did  we  really  know  what  we  had  had  to- 
fight  against.     The  current  was  running  along  the  side 
of  the  ship  like  a  rapid  river.     At  last  we  were  actuall)r 
on  board.     It  was  evening  by  this  time,  and  it  was  splen- 
did to  get  some  good  hot  food  and  then  stretch  one's 
limbs  in  a  comfortable  dry  berth.    There  is  a  satisfaction 
in  feeling  that  one  has  exerted  one's  self  to  some  pur- 
pose.    Here  was  the  net  result  of  four-and-twenty  hours' 
hard  toil:    we  had  shot  two  reindeer  which  we  did  not 
get,  got  two  bears  that  we  had  no  use  for,  and  had  totally 
ruined  one  suit  of  clothes.     Two  washings  had  not  the 
smallest  effect  upon   them,  and  they  hung  on  deck  tO' 
air  for  the  rest  of  this  trip. 

I  slept  badly  that  night,  for  this  is  what  I  find  in  my 
diary:    "Got    on    board    after    what    I    think    was    the 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


I8l 


hardest  row  I  ever  had.  Slept  well  for  a  little,  but  am 
now  lying  tossing  about  in  my  berth,  unable  to  sleep. 
Is  it  the  coffee  I  drank  after  supper  ?  or  the  cold  tea  I 
drank  when  I  awoke  with  a  burning  thirst.?  I  shut  my 
eyes  and  try  again  time  after  time,  but  to  no  purpose. 
And  now  memory's  airy  visions  steal  softly  over  my 
soul.  Gleam  after  gleam  breaks  through  the  mist.  I 
see  before  me  sunlit  landscapes —smiling  fields  and 
meadows,  green,  leafy  trees  and  woods,  and  blue  moun- 
tain ridges.  The  singing  of  the  steam  in  the  boiler-pipe 
turns  to  bell -ringing  — church  bells  — ringing  in  Sab- 
bath peace  over  Vestre-Aker  on  this  beautiful  summer 
morning.  I  am  walking  with  father  along  the  avenue 
of  small  birch-trees  that  mother  planted,  up  towards  the 
church,  which  lies  on  the  height  before  us,  pointing  up 
into  the  blue  sky  and  sending  its  call  far  over  the 
country-side.  From  up  there  you  can  see  a  long  way. 
Naesodden  looks  quite  close  in  the  clear  air,  especially  on 
an  autumn  morning.  And  we  give  a  quiet  Sunday 
greeting  to  the  people  that  drive  past  us,  all  going  our 
way.  What  a  look  of  Sunday  happiness  dwells  on  their 
faces ! 

"  I  did  not  think  it  all  so  delightful  then,  and  would 
much  rather  have  run  off  to  the  woods  with  my  bow  and 
arrow  after  squirrels — but  now — how  fair,  how  wonder- 
fully beautiful  that  sunlit  picture  seems  to  me !  The 
feeling  of  peace  and  happiness  that  even  then  no  doubt 
made  its  impression,  though  only  a  passing  one,  comes 


182 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


J  !      '  !    I 

1^: 


I 


.    !'■! 


r'! 


back  now  with  redoubled  strength,  and  all  nature  seems 
one  mighty,  thrilling  song  of  praise !  Is  it  because  of 
the  contrast  with  this  poor,  barren,  sunless  land  of  mists 
—without  a  tree,  without  a  bush — nothing  but  stones  and 
clay?  No  peace  in  it  either— nothing  but  an  endless 
struggle  to  get  north,  always  north,  without  a  moment's 
delay.  Oh,  how  one  yearns  for  a  little  careless  happi- 
ness !" 

Next  day  we  were  again  ready  to  sail,  and  I  tried  to 
force  the  Fmm  on  under  steam  against  wind  and  current. 
But  the   current  ran  strong  as  a  river,  and  we  had  to 
be  specially  careful  with  the  helm  ;   if  we  gave  her  the 
least  thing  too   much  she  would  take  a  sheer,  and  we 
knew  there  were  shallows  and  rocks  on  all  sides.     We 
kept  the  lead  going  constantly.     For  a  time  all  went  well, 
and  we  made  way  slowly,  but  suddenly  she  took  a  sheer 
and  refused  to  obey  her  helm.     She  went  off  to  starboard. 
The  lead  indicated  shallow  water.     The  same  moment 
came  the  order,  "  Let   go    the    anchor!"     And    to    the 
bottom  it  went  with  a  rush  and  a  clank.     There  we  lay 
with  4  fathoms  of  water  under  the  stern  and  9  fathoms 
in  front  at  the  anchor.     We  were  not  a  moment  too  soon. 
We  got  the  Frams  head  straight  to  the  wind,  and  tried 
again,  time  after  time,  but  always  with   the  same  result. 
The  attempt  had  to  be  given  up.     There  was  still  the 
possibility  of  making  our  way  out  of  the  sound  to  lee- 
ward of  the  land,  but  the  water  got  quickly  shallow  there, 
and  we  might  come  on  rocks  at  any  moment.     We  could 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE   KARA   SEA 


183 


have  gone  on  in  front  with  the  boat  and  sounded,  but  I 
had  ah-cady  had  more  than  enough  of  rowing  in  that 
current.  For  the  present  we  must  stay  where  we  were 
and  anoint  ourselves  with  the  ointment  called  Patience, 
a  medicament  of  which  every  polar  expedition  ought  to 
lay  in  a  large  supply.  We  hoped  on  for  a  change,  but 
the  current  remained  as  it  .vas,  and  the  wind  certainly 
did  not  decrease.  I  was  in  despair  at  having  to  lie  here 
for  nothing  but  this  cursed  current,  with  open  sea  out- 
side, perhaps  as  far  as  Cape  Chelyuskin,  that  eternal  cape, 
whose  name  had  been  sounding  in  my  ears  for  the  last 
three  weeks. 

When  I  came  on  deck  next  morning  (August  23d) 
winter  had  come.  There  was  white  snow  on  the  deck, 
and  on  every  little  projection  of  the  rigging  where  it 
had  found  shelter  from  the  wind ;  white  snow  on  the 
land,  and  white  snow  floating  through  the  air.  Oh, 
how  the  snow  refreshes  one's  soul,  and  drives  away  all 
the  gloom  and  sadness  from  this  sullen  land  of  fogs! 
Look  at  it  scattered  so  delicately,  as  if  by  a  loving  hand, 
over  the  stones  and  '  -  '>-rass-flats  on  shore !  But  wind 
and  current  are  much  •  were,  and  during  the  day 

the  wind  blows  up  to  a  ..  storm,  howling  and  rat- 

tling in  the  Frams  rigging, 

The  following  day  (August  24th)  I  had  quite  made 
up  my  mind  that  we  must  get  out  some  way  or  other. 
When  I  came  on  deck  in  the  morning  the  wind  had  gone 
down  considerably,  and  the  current  was  not  so  strong. 


f, 


I 


.' ''  I 


i.  :i 


fU 


[!-« 


P 

II' 

Hj! 

I 

i 


184 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


A  boat  would  almost  be  able  to  row  against  it ;  anyhow 
one  could  be  eased  away  by  a  line  from  the  stern,  and 
keep  on  taking  soundings  there,  while  we  "kcdged"  the 
Fram  with   her  anchor  just  clear  of   the  bottom.     But 
before  having  recourse  to  this   last  expedient   I  would 
make  another  attempt  to  go  against  the  wind  and  the 
current.      The    engineers   were    ordered   to   put    on    as 
much  pressure  of  steam   as  they  dared,  and  the  Fram 
was  urged  on  at  her  top  speed.     Our  surprise  was  not 
small  when  we  saw  that  we  were  making  way,  and  even 
at  a  tolerable  rate.     Soon  we  were  out  of  the  sound  or 
*'  Knipa  "  (nipper)  as  we  christened  it,  and  could  beat  out 
to  sea  with  steam  and  sail.     Of  course,  we  had,  as  usual, 
contrary  wind  and  thick  weather.     There  is  ample  space 
between  every  little  bit  of  sunshine  in  these  quarters. 

Next  day  we  kept  on  beating  northward  between  the 

edge  of  the  ice  and  the  land.     The   open  channel  was 

broad   to   begin   with,  but  farther   north   it   became  so 

narrow  that  we  could  often  see  the  coast  when  we  put 

about  at  the  edge  of  the  ice.     At  this  time  we  passed 

many  unknown    islands   and  groups  of  islands.     There 

was  evidently  plenty  of  occupation    here,  for   any  one 

who  could  spare  the  time,  in  making   a  chart   of   the 

coast.     Our  voyage  had  another   aim,  and  all    that  we 

could  do  was  to  make  a  few  occasional  measurements  of 

the  same  nature  as  Nordenskiold  had  made  before  us. 

On   August   25th    I   noted   in   my  diary  that  in    the 
afternoon   we  had  seven   islands  in  sight.     They  were 


%. 


IVAR    MOGSTAD 

{From  a  photograpk  taken  in  18%) 


'f  % 


'lii  i.    ! 


.  <    i 


LII 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  k.th'.l   SEA 


.87 


higher  than  those  we  had  seen  before,  and  consisted  of 
precipitous  hills.  There  were  also  small  glaciers  or 
snovv-ficlds,  and  the  rock  formation  showed  clear  traces 
of  erosion  by  ice  or  snow,  this  being  especially  the  case 
on  the  largest  island,  where  there  were  even  small  valleys, 
partially  filled  with  snow. 

This  is  the  record  of  August  26th :  "  Many  new  isl- 
ands  in  various  directions.  There  are  here,"  the  diary 
continues,  "any  number  of  unknown  islands,  so  many 
that  one's  head  gets  confused  in  trying  to  keep  account 
of  them  all.  In  the  morning  we  passed  a  very  rocky 
one,  and  beyond  it  I  saw  two  others.  After  them  land 
or  islands  farther  to  the  north  and  still  more  to  the  north- 
<iast.  We  had  to  go  out  of  our  course  in  the  afternoon, 
because  we  dared  not  pass  between  two  large  islands  on 
account  of  possible  shoals.  The  islands  were  round  in 
form,  like  those  we  had  seen  farther  back,  but  were  of 
a  good  height.  Now  we  held  east  again,  with  four  big- 
gish islands  and  two  islets  in  the  offing.  On  our  other 
side  we  presently  had  a  line  of  flat  islands  with  steep 
shores.  The  channel  was  far  from  safe  here.  In  the 
evening  we  suddenly  noticed  large  stones  standing  up 
above  the  water  among  some  ice-fioes  close  on  our  port 
bow,  and  on  our  starboard  beam  was  a  shoal  with  stranded 
ice-floes.  We  sounded,  but  found  over  21  fathoms  of 
water." 

I  think  this  will  suffice  to  give  an  idea  of  the  nature 
of  this  coast.     Its  belt  of  skerries,  though  it  certainly  can- 


t   i 


1 . 


m 

IV  ■|i 

'  "'V 


km 


lU: 


V  )': 


1 88 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


not  be  classed  with   the   Norwegian  one,  is  yet  of  the 
kind  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  except  off  glacier- 
formed  coasts.     This  tends  to  strengthen  the  opinion  I 
had  formed  of  there  having  been  a  glacial  period  in  the 
earlier  history  of  this  part  of  the  world  also.     Of  tiiC 
coast  itself,  we  unfortunately  saw   too  little  at  any  dis- 
tance from  which  we  could  get  an  accurate  idea  of  its 
formation  and  nature.     We  could  not  keep  near  land, 
partly  because  of  the  thick  weather,  and  partly  because 
of  the  number   of   islands.     The   little   I   did   see   was 
enough  to  give  me  the  conviction  that  the  actual  coast 
line  differs  essentially  from  the  one  we  know  from  maps; 
it  is  much  more  winding  and  indented  than  it  is  shown 
to  be.      I  even  several  times  thought  that   I  saw  the 
openings  into  deep  fjords,  and  more  than  once  the  sus- 
picion occurred  to  me  that  this  was  a  typical  fjord  coun- 
try we  were  sailing  past,  in  spite  of  the  hills  being  com- 
paratively low  and  rounded.     In  this  supposition  I  was 
to  be  confirmed  by  our  experiences  farther  north. 

Our  record  of  August  27th  reads  as  follows:  "Steamed 
among  a  variety  oi  small  islands  and  islets.  Thick  fog 
in  the  morning.  At  1 2  noon  we  saw  a  small  island  right 
ahead,  and  therefore  changed  our  course  and  went  north. 
We  were  soon  close  to  the  ice,  and  after  3  in  the  after- 
noon held  northeast  along  its  edge.  Sighted  land  when 
the  fog  cleared  a  little,  and  were  about  a  mile  off  it  at 

7  P.M." 

It  was  the  same  striated,  rounded  land,  covered  with 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


189 


clay  and  large  and  small  stones  strewn  over  moss  and 
grass  flats.  Before  us  we  saw  points  and  headlands, 
with  islands  outside,  and  sounds  and  fjords  between ;  but 
it  was  all  locked  up  in  ice,  and  we  could  not  see  far  for 
the  fog.  There  was  that  strange  Arctic  hush  and  misty 
light  over  everything— that  grayish-white  light  caused  by 
the  reflection  from  the  ice  being  cast  high  into  the  air 
against  masses  of  vapor,  the  dark  land  offering  a  won- 
derful contrast.  We  were  not  sure  whether  this  was 
the  land  near  Taimur  Sound  or  that  by  Cape  Palander, 
but  were  agreed  that  in  any  case  it  would  be  best  to  hold 
a  northerly  course,  so  as  to  keep  clear  of  Almquist's 
Islands,  which  Nordenskiold  marks  on  his  map  as  lying 
off  Taimur  Island.  If  we  shaped  our  course  for  one 
watch  north,  or  north  to  west,  we  should  be  safe  after 
that,  and  be  able  again  to  hold  farther  east.  But  we 
miscalculated,  after  all.  At  midnight  we  turned  north- 
eastward, and  at  4  a.m.  (August  28th)  land  appeared  out 
of  the  fog  about  half  a  mile  off.  It  seemed  to  Sverdrup, 
who  was  on  deck,  the  highest  that  we  had  seen  since  we 
left  Norway.  He  consequently  took  it  to  be  the  main- 
land, and  wished  to  keep  well  outside  of  it,  but  was 
obliged  to  turn  from  this  course  because  of  ice.  We 
held  to  the  W.S.W.,  and  it  was  not  till  9  a.m.  that  we 
rounded  the  western  point  of  a  large  island  and  could 
steer  north  again.  East  of  us  were  many  islands  or 
points  with   solid    ice   between   them,  and  we  followed 


W 


the  edge  of  the  ice. 


All  the  morning  we  went  north 


/  ''I 


I'M 


190 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


along  the  land  against  a  strong  current.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  end  to  this  land.  Its  discrepancy  with  every 
known  map  grew  more  and  more  remarkable,  and  I  was 
in  no  slight  dilemma.  We  had  for  long  been  far  to 
the  north  of  the  most  northern  island  indicated  by 
Nordenskiold.*  My  diary  this  day  tells  of  great  uncer- 
tainty. "  This  land  (or  these  islands,  or  whatever  it  is) 
goes  confoundedly  far  north.  If  it  is  a  group  of  islands 
they  are  tolerably  large  ones.  It  has  often  the  appearance 
of  connected  land,  with  fjords  and  points;  but  the  weather 
is  too  thick  for  us  to  get  a  proper  view.  .  ,  .  Can  this  that 
we  are  now  coasting  along  be  the  Taimur's  Island  of  the 
Russian  maps  (or  more  precisely,  Lapteff's  map),  and  is 
it  separated  from  the  mainland  by  the  broad  strait 
indicated  by  him,  while  Nordenskiold's  Taimur  Island 
is  what  Lapteff  has  mapped  as  a  projecting  tongue  of 
land .?  This  supposition  would  explain  everything,  and 
our  observations  would  also  fit  in  with  it.  Is  it  possible 
that  Nordenskiold  found  this  strait,  and  took  it  for  Taimur 
Strait,  while  in  reality  it  was  a  new  one;  and  that  he 
saw  Almquist's  Islands,  but  had  no  suspicion  that  Taimur 
Island  lay  to  the  outside  of  them.?  The  difficulty  about 
this  explanation  is  that  the  Russian  maps  mark  no  islands 
round  Taimur  Island.     It  is  inconceivable  that  any  one 


*  It  is  true  that  in  his  account  of  the  voyage  he  expressly  states  liiat 
the  continued  very  thick  fog  "prevented  us  from  doing  more  than  map- 
ping out  most  vaguely  the  islands  among  and  past  which  the  Vega  sought 
her  way." 


VOYAGE    THROUGH   THE  KARA   SEA 


I9» 


should  have  travelled  all  about  here  in  sledges  without 
seeing  all  these  small  islands  that  lie  scattered  around.* 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  water-gauge  of  the  boiler  got 
choked  up ;  we  had  to  stop  to  have  it  repaired,  and 
therefore  made  fast  to  the  edge  of  the  ice.  We  spent 
the  time  in  taking  in  drinking-water.  We  found  a  pool 
on  the  ice,  so  small  that  we  thought  it  would  only  do  tO' 
begin  with;  but  it  evidently  had  a  "subterranean" 
communication  with  other  fresh-water  ponds  on  the  floe. 
To  our  astonishment  it  proved  inexhaustible,  however 
much  we  scooped.  In  the  evening  we  stood  in  to  the  head 
of  an  ice  bay,  which  opened  out  opposite  the  most  northern 
island  we  then  had  in  sight.  There  was  no  passage 
beyond.  The  broken  drift-ice  lay  packed  so  close  in 
on  the  unbroken  land-ice  that  it  was  impossible  to  tell 
where  the  one  ended  and  the  other  began.  We  could  see 
islands  still  farther  to  the  northeast.  From  the  atmos- 
phere it  seemed  as  if  there  might  also  be  open  water  in 
that  direction.  To  the  north  it  all  '  )oked  very  close, 
but  to  the  west  there  was  an  open  waterway  as  far  as 
one  could  see  from  the  masthead.     I  was  in  some  doubt 

*  Later,  when  I  had  investigated  the  state  of  matters  outside  Norden- 
skiold's  Taimur  Island,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  same  remark  applied 
here  with  even  better  reason,  as  no  sledge  expedition  could  go  round  the 
coast  of  this  island  without  seeing  Almquist's  Islands,  which  lie  so  near, 
for  instance,  to  Cape  LaptefT,  that  they  ought  to  be  seen  even  in  very 
thick  weather.  It  would  be  less  excusable  to  omit  marking  these  islands, 
which  are  much  larger,  than  to  omit  the  small  ones  lying  oflf  the  coast  of 
the  large  island  (or  as  I  now  consider  it,  group  of  large  islands)  we  were  at 
present  skirting. 


192 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\h  (I 


as  to  what  should  be  done.  There  was  an  open  channel 
for  a  short  way  up  past  the  north  point  of  the  nearest 
island,  but  farther  to  the  east  the  ice  seemed  to  be  close. 
It  might  be  possible  to  force  our  way  through  there, 
but  it  was  just  as  likely  that  we  should  be  frozen  in ;  so  I 
thought  it  most  judicious  to  go  back  and  make  another 
attempt  between  these  islands  and  that  mainland  which 
I  had  some  difficulty  in  believing  that  Sverdrup  had  seen 
in  the  morning. 

"  Thursday,  August  20th.  Still  foggy  weather.  New 
islands  were  observed  on  the  way  back.  Sverdrup's 
high  land  did  not  come  to  much.  It  turned  out  to  be  an 
island,  and  that  a  low  one.  It  is  wonderful  the  way 
things  loom  up  in  the  fog.  This  reminded  me  of  the 
story  of  the  pilot  at  home  in  the  Drobak  Channel.  He 
suddenly  saw  land  right  in  front,  and  gave  the  order, 
'  Full  speed  astern  !'  Then  they  approached  carefully 
and  found  that  it  was  half  a  baling-can  floating  in  the 
water," 

After  passing  a  great  number  of  nev;  islands  we 
got  into  open  water  off  Taimur  Island,  and  steamed  in 
still  weather  through  the  sound  to  the  northeast.  At 
5  in  the  afternoon  I  saw  from  the  crow's-nest  thick  ice 
ahead,  which  blocked  farther  progress.  It  stretched  from 
Taimur  Island  right  across  to  the  islands  south  of  it.  On 
the  ice  bearded  seals  {P/ioca  barbatd)  were  to  be  seen  in 
all  directions,  and  we  saw  one  walrus.  We  approached 
the  ice  to  make  fast  to  it,  but  the  Fram  had  got  into 


if 


4 


BERNT    BENTZEN 

IFroiii  a  fhotograph  taken  hi  Dece niter,  1S!I3) 


•ii 


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i 

1  : 

l\l 

'  w 

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'rt 

.' 

■ 

i* 

1 

%p 

^ 

ft '/ 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


195 


dead-water,  and  made  hardly  any  way,  in  spite  of  the 
engine  going  full  pressure.  It  was  such  slow  work  that 
I  thought  I  would  row  ahead  to  shoot  seal.  In  the  mean- 
time the  Fram  advanced  slowly  to  the  edge  of  the  ice 
with  her  machinery  still  going  at  full  speed. 

For  the  moment  we  had  simply  to  give  up  all  thoughts 
of  getting  on.  It  was  most  likely,  indeed,  that  only  a  few 
miles  of  solid  ice  lay  between  us  and  the  probably  open 
Taimur  Sea;  but  to  break  through  this  ice  was  an  impos- 
sibility. It  was  too  thick,  and  there  were  no  openings  in 
it.  Nordenskiold  had  steamed  through  here  earlier  in 
the  year  (August  18,  1878)  without  the  slightest  hinder- 
ance,*  and  here,  perhaps,  our  hopes,  for  this  year  at  any 
rate,  were  to  be  wrecked.  It  was  not  possible  that  the  ice 
should  melt  before  winter  set  in  in  earnest.  The  only 
thing  to  save  us  would  be  a  proper  storm  from  the  south- 
west. Our  other  slight  hope  lay  in  the  possibility  that 
Nordenskiold's  Taimur  Sound  farther  south  might  be 
open,  and  that  we  might  manage  to  get  the  Fram  through 
there,  in  spite  of  Nordenskiold  having  said  distinctly  "that 
it  is  too  shallow  to  allow  of  the  passage  of  vessels  of  any 
size. 

After  having  been  out  in  the  kayak  and  boat  and  shot 


i 


'i=  In  his  account  of  his  voyage  Nordenskiold  writes  as  follows  of  the 
condition  of  this  channel :  "  We  were  met  by  only  small  quantities  of  that 
sort  of  ice  which  has  a  layer  of  fresh-water  ice  on  the  top  of  the  salt,  and 
we  noticed  that  it  was  all  melting  fjord  or  river  ice.  I  hardly  think  that 
we  came  all  day  on  a  single  piece  of  ice  big  enough  to  have  cut  up  a  seal 
upon." 


! 


:i  n 


196 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


Ml 


some  seals,  we  went  on  to  anchor  in  a  bay  that  lay  rather 
farther  south,  where  it  seemed  as  if  there  would  be  a 
little  shelter  in  case  of  a  storm.      We  wanted   now  to 
have  a  thorough  cleaning  out  of  the  boiler,  a  \'ery  neces- 
sary operation.      It   took   us    more  than    one  watch   to 
steam    a    distance    we    could    have    rowed    in    half    an 
hour  or  less.      We  could  hardly  get  on   at  all   for  the 
dead-water,  and  we  swept  the  whole  sea  along  with  us. 
It  is  a  peculiar  phenomenon,  this  dead-water.     We  had 
at  present  a  better  opportunity  of  studying  it  than  we 
desired.      It  occurs  where  a  surface  layer  of  fresh  water 
rests  upon    the   salt  water   of   the   sea,  and    this   fresh 
water  is    carried  along  with   the    ship,  gliding   on    the 
heavier  sea  beneath  as  if  on  a  fixed  foundation.      The 
difference  between   the  two  strata  was  in   this  case  so 
great  that,  while  we  had  drinking-water  on  the  surface, 
the  water  we  got  from  the  bottom  cock  of  the  engine- 
room  was  far  too  salt  to  be  used  for  the  boiler.      Dead- 
water  manifests  itself  in  the  form  of  larger  or  smaller 
ripples    or  waves   stretching   across   the  wake,  the  one 
behind  the  other,  arising  sometimes  as  far  forward  as 
almost  amidships.     We  made  loops  in  our  course,  turned 
sometimes    right   round,  tried    all   sorts  of  antics  to  o-et 
clear  of  it,  but  to  very  little  purpose.     The  moment  the 
engine  stopped  it  seemed  as  if  the   ship  were  sucked 
back.      In   spite    of    the   Frams    weight   and    the    mo- 
mentum  she    usually  has.  we   could  in    the  present  in- 
stance go  at  full  speed  till  within   a  fathom  or  two  of 


•  t 


VOYAGE    TFl ROUGH   THE  KARA   SEA 


197 


the  edge  of  the  ice,  and  hardly  feel  a  shock  when  she 
touclied. 

Just  as  we  were  approaching  we  saw  a  fox  jump- 
ing backward  and  forward  on  the  ice,  taking  the  most 
wonderful  leaps  and  enjoying  life.  Sverdrup  sent  a 
ball  from  the  forecastle  which  put  an  end  to  it  on  the 
spot. 

About  midday  two  bears  were  seen  on  land,  but  they 
disappeared  before  we  got  in  to  shoot  them. 

The  number  of  seals  to  be  seen  in  every  direction  was 
something  extraordinary,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  this 
would  be  an  uncommonly  good  hunting-ground.  The 
flocks  I  saw  this  first  day  on  the  ice  reminded  me  of 
the  crested-seal  hunting-grounds  on  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland. 

This    experience    of    ours    may    appear    to    contrast 
strangely  with  that   of   the    Vega  expedition.      Uorden- 
skiold    writes   of   this   sea,    comparing   it   with   the   sea 
to  the  north  and  east  of  Spitsbergen:    "Another  strik- 
ing difference  is  the  scarcity  of  warm-blooded  animals  in 
this  region  as  yet  unvisited  by  the  hunter.     We  had  not 
seen  a   single   bird    in    the    whole  course  of  the  day,  a 
thing  that  had  never  before  happened  to  me  on  a  sum- 
mer voyage  in  the  Arctic   regions,  and   we   had  hardly 
seen  a  seal."     The  fact  that  they  had  not  seen  a  seal  is 
simply  enough  exj^lained  by  the  absence  of  ice.     From 
my  impression  of  it,  the    region  must,  on  the  contrary, 
abound  in  seals.     Nordenskiold  himself  says  that  "num- 


i    i 


198 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


bers  of  seals,  both  Phoca  barbata  and  Phoca  hispida, 
were  to  be  seen"  on  the  ice  in  Taimur  Strait. 

So  this  was  all  the  progress  we  had  made  up  to  the 
end  of  August.  On  August  i.S,  1S78,  Nordenskiold  had 
passed  through  this  sound,  and  on  the  19th  and  20th 
passed  Cape  Chelyuskin,  but  here  was  an  impenetrable 
mass  of  ice  frozen  on  to  the  land  lying  in  our  way  at  the 
end  of  the  month.  The  prospect  was  anything  but 
cheering.  Were  the  many  prophets  of  evil — there  is 
never  any  scarcity  of  them — to  prove  right  even  at  this 
early  stage  of  the  undertaking,?  No!  The  Taimur 
Strait  must  be  attempted,  and  should  this  attempt  fail 
another  last  one  should  be  made  outside  all  the  islands 
again.  Possibly  the  ice  masses  out  there  might  in  the 
meantime  have  drifted  and  left  an  open  way.  We  could 
not  stop  here. 

September  came  in  with  a  still,  melancholy  snowfall, 
and  this  desolate  land,  with  its  low,  rounded  heights,  soon 
lay  under  a  deep  covering.  It  did  not  add  to  our  cheer- 
fulness to  see  winter  thus  gently  and  noiselessly  ushered 
in  after  an  all  too  short  summer. 

On  September  2d  the  boiler  was  ready  at  last,  was 
filled  with  fresh  water  from  the  sea  surface,  and  we  pre- 
pared to  start.  While  this  preparation  was  going  on 
Sverdrup  and  I  went  ashore  to  have  a  look  after  rein- 
deer. The  iiow  was  lying  thick,  and  if  it  had  not  been 
so  wet  we  could  have  used  our  snow-shoes.  As  it  was, 
we  tramped  about  in  the  heavy  slush  without  them,  and 


VOYAGE    TlfROUGlf   THE   KARA   SEA 


•99 


without  seeing  so  much  as  the  track  of  a  beast  of  any 
kind.  A  forlorn  land,  indeed !  Most  of  the  bird.-  of 
passage  had  ah'eady  taken  their  way  south;  we  had  met 
small  flocks  of  them  at  sea.  They  were  collectinu  for 
the  great  flight  to  the  sunshine,  and  we,  poor  souls,  could 
not  help  wishing  that  it  were  possible  to  send  news  and 
greeting  with  them.  A  few  solitary  Arctic  and  ordinary 
gulls  were  our  only  company  now.  One  day  I  found  a 
belated  straggler  of  a  goose  sitting  on  the  edge  of 
the  ice. 

We  steamed  south  in  the  evening,  but  still  followed 
by  the  dead-water.  According  to  Nordenskiold's  map,  it 
was  only  about  20  miles  to  Taimur  Strait,  but  we  were 
the  whole  night  doing  this  distance.  Our  speed  was 
reduced  to  about  a  fifth  part  of  what  it  would  otherwise 
have  been.  At  6  a.m.  (September  3d)  we  got  in  among 
some  thin  ice  that  scraped  the  dead-water  off  us.  llie 
chan  ,e  was  noticeable  at  once.  As  the  Fram  cut  into 
the  ice  crust  she  gave  a  sort  of  spring  forward,  and,  after 
this,  went  on  at  her  ordinary  speed ;  and  henceforth  we 
had  very  little  more  trouble  with  dead-water. 

We  found  what,  according  to  the  map,  was  Taimur 
Strait  entirely  blocked  with  ice,  and  we  held  farther 
south,  to  see  if  we  could  not  come  upon  some  other 
strait  or  passage.  It  was  not  an  easy  matter  findino- 
our  way  by  the  map.  We  had  not  seen  Hovgaard's 
Islands,  marked  as  lying  north  of  the  entrance  to  Tai- 
mur  Strait;    yet   the  weather  was   so  beautifully  clear 


4 


200 


FARTHEST  AOHTH 


'%: 


I  ■  i 


m 


that  it  sccmL'd   unlikely  tliey  could  have  escaped  us   if 
they  lay  where  Nordenskiiild's  sketch-map  places  thcni. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  saw  several  islands  in  the  offing. 
These,  however,  lay  so  far  out  that  it  is  not  jjrobable  that 
Nordeiiskiold  saw  them,  as  the  weather  was  thick  when 
he  was  here;    and,  besides,  it  is  impossible  that  islands 
lying  many  miles  out  at  sea  could  have  been  maiJjjed 
as  close  to  land,  with  only  a  narrow  sound  sejjarating 
them  from  it.     Farther  south  we  found  a  narrow  open 
strait  or  fjord,  which  we  steamed  into,  in  order  if  possible 
to  get  some  better  idea  of  the  lay  of  the  land.     I  sat  up 
in  the  crow's-nest,  hoping  for  a  general  clearing  up  of 
matters;    but    the    prospect    of    this   seemed    to    recede 
farther  and  farther.     What  we  now  had  to  the  north  of 
us,  and  what  I  had  taken  to  be  a  projection  of  the  main- 
land, proved  to  be  an   island  ;    but  the  fjord  wourid  on 
farther    inland.       Now    it    got    narrower  —  presently    it 
widened    out   again.      The    mystery    thickened.      Could 
this   be  Taimur  Strait,  after  all  t     A  dead  calm  on  the 
sea.     Fog  everywhere  over  the  land.     It  was  wellnigh 
impossible  to  distinguish  the  smooth  surface  of  the  water 
from   the   ice,  and   the   ice  from  the   snow-covered  land. 
Everything  is  so  strangely  still  and  dead.     The  sea  rises 
and  falls  with  each  twist  of  the  fjord  through  the  silent 
land  of  mists.      Now  we    have  open  water  ahead,  now 
more  ice,  and  it  is  impossible  to  make  sure  which  it  is. 
Is  this  Taimur    .Strait.^     Are  we  iiettinu:  throuuh  ?     A 
whole  year  is  at  stake!  ...     No!  here  we  stop— nothing 


VOYAGE    TFnWUClf  THE  KARA  SEA 


20  r 


but  ice  ahead.     No!   it  is  only  smooth  water  with  the 
snowy  land  reflected  in  it.     This  viust  be  'laimur  Strait! 
But  now  we  had  several  large  ice-floes  ahead,  and  it 
was  difficult  to  get  on  ;    so  we  anchored  at  a  point,  in  a 
good,  safe  harbor,  to  make  a  closer  inspection.     We  now 
discovered  that  it  was  a  strong  tidal  current  that  was  car- 
rying  the  ice-floes  with  it,  and  there  could  be  no  doubt 
that  it  was  a  strait  we  were  lying  in.     I  rowed  out  in  the 
evening  to  shoot  some  seals,  taking  for  the  purpose  my 
most  precious  weapon,  a  double-barrelled  Kxpress  rifle, 
calibre  577.     As  we  were  in  the  act  of  taking  a  sealskin 
on  board  the  boat  heeled  over,  I  slipped,  and  my  rifle  fell 
into  the  sea  —  a   sad   accident.     Peter   Henriksen    and 
Ik-ntzen,  who  were  rowing  me,  took  it  so  to  heart  that 
the\'  could  not  speak  for  some  time.     They  declared  that 
it  would  never  do  to  leave  the  valuable  gun  lying  there 
in  5  fathoms  of  water.     So  we  rowed  to  the  Fram  for  the 
necessary  apparatus,  and   dragged    the    spot   for  several 
hours,  well  on  into  the  dark,  gloomy  night.     While  we 
were   thus  employed    a  bearded  seal  circled  round  and 
round  us,  bobbing  up  its  big  startled  face,  now  on  one  side 
of  us,  now  on  the  other,  and  always  coming  nearer;  it  was 
evidently  anxious  to  find  out  what  our  night  work  might 
be.     Then  it  dived  over  and  over  again,  probably  to  see 
how  the  dragging  was  getting  on.     Was  it  afraid  of  our 
finding  the  rifle.?     At  last  it   became  too  intrusive.     I 
took  Peter's  rifle,  and  put  a  ball  through  its  head;  but  it 
sank  before  we  could  reach  it,  and  we  gave  up  the  whole 


t'»i 


m 


V .  I 


202 


FAR  THE  S2'  NORTH 


business  in  despair.     The  loss  of  that  rifle  saved  the  life 
of  many  a  seal ;  and,  alas!  it  had  cost  me  ^28. 

We  took  the  boat  again  next  day  and  rowed  eastward, 
to  find  out  if  there  really  was  a  passage  for  us  through 
this  strait.  It  had  turned  cold  during  the  night  and 
snow  had  fallen,  so  the  sea  round  the  Fram  was  covered 
with  tolerably  thick  snow-ice,  and  it  cost  us  a  good  deal 
of  exertion  to  break  through  it  into  open  water  with  the 
boat.  I  thought  it  possible  that  the  land  farther  in  on 
the  north  side  of  the  strait  might  be  that  in  the  neio-h- 
borhood  of  Actinia  Bay,  where  the  Vega  had  lain  ;  but 
I  sought  in  vain  for  the  cairn  erected  there  by  Norden- 
skioid,  and  presently  discovered  to  my  astonishment  that 
it  was  only  a  small  island,  and  that  this  island  lay  on  the 
south  side  of  the  principal  entrance  to  Taimur  Strait. 
The  strait  was  very  broad  here,  and  I  felt  pretty  certain 
that  I  saw  where  the  real  Actinia  Bay  cut  into  the  land 
far  to  the  north. 

We  were  hungry  now,  and  were  preparing  to  take  a 
meal  before  we  rowed  on  from  the  island,  when  we 
discovered  to  our  disappointment  that  the  butter  had 
been  forgotten.  We  crammed  down  the  dry  biscuits  as 
best  we  could,  and  worked  our  jaws  till  they  were  stiff 
on  the  pieces  we  managed  to  hack  off  a  hard  dried  rein- 
deer chine.  When  we  were  tired  of  eating,  though  any- 
thing but  satisfied,  we  set  off,  giving  this  point  the  name 
of  "Cape  Butterless."  We  rowed  far  in  through  the 
strait,  and  it  seemed  to  us  to  be  a  good  passage  for  ships 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


203 


— 8  or  9  fathoms  right  up  to  the  shore.  However,  we 
were  stopped  by  ice  in  the  evening,  and  as  we  ran  the 
risk  of  being  frozen  in  if  we  pushed  on  any  farther  I 
thought  it  best  to  turn.  We  certainly  ran  no  dancrer 
of  starving,  for  we  saw  fresh  tracks  both  of  bears  and 
reindeer  everywhere,  and  there  were  plenty  of  seals  in 
the  water;  but  I  was  afraid  of  delaying  the  Fram,  in 
view  of  the  possibility  of  progress  in  another  direction. 
So  we  toiled  back  against  a  strong  wind,  not  reachino- 
the  ship  till  next  morning;  and  this  was  none  too  early, 
for  presently  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  storm. 

On  the  subject  of  the  navigability  of  Taimur  Strait, 
Nordenskiold  writes  that,  "  according  to  soundings  made 
by  Lieutenant  Palander,  it  is  obstructed  by  rocky  shal- 
lows; and  being  also  full  of  strong  currents,  it  is  hardly 
advisable  to  sail  through  it— at  least,  until  the  direction 
of  these  currents  has  been  carefully  investigated."  I 
have  nothing  particular  to  add  to  this,  except  that,  as 
already  mentioned,  the  channel  was  clear  as  far  as  we 
penetrated,  and  had  the  appearance  of  being  practicable 
as  far  as  I  could  see.  I  was,  therefore,  determined  that 
we  would,  if  necessary,  try  to  force  our  way  through  with 
the  Fram. 

The  5th  of  September  brought  snow  with  a  stiff  breeze, 
which  steadily  grew  stronger.  When  it  was  rattlinsr  in 
the  rigging  in  the  evening  we  congratulated  each  other 
on  being  safe  on  board — it  would  not  have  been  an  easy 
matter  to   row  back   to-day.     But  altogether  I  was  dis- 


204 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


'P  t 


I  ti  I     I 


M    it 


i  I 


satisfied.    There  was  some  chance,  indeed,  that  this  wind 
might  loosen  the  ice  farther  north,  and  yesterday's  ex- 
periences had  given  me  the  hope  of  being  able,  in  case 
of  necessity,  to  force  a  way  through  this  strait;  but  now 
the  wind  was  steadily  driving  larger  masses  of  ice  in  past 
us;  and  this  approach  of  winter  was  alarming— it  might 
quite  well  be  on  us  in  earnest  before  any  channel  was 
opened.     I  tried  to  reconcile  myself  to  the  idea  of  winter- 
ing in  our  present  surroundings.     I  had  already  laid  all 
the  plans  for  the  way  in  which  we  were  to  occujDy  our- 
selves during  the  coming  year.     Besides  an  investigation 
of  this  coast,  which  offered   problems  enough   to  solve, 
we  were  to  explore  the  unknown  interior  of  the  Taimur 
Peninsula  right  across  to  the  mouth   of  the   Chatano;a. 
With  our  dogs  and  snow-shoes  we  should  be  able  to  tro 
far  and  wide ;  so   the  year  would  not  be  a  lost  one  as 
regarded  geography  and  geology.     But  no !   I  coi'id  not 
reconcile  myself  to  it!     I  could  not!    A  year  of  one's  life 
was  a  year;  and  our  expedition  promised  to  be  a  long 
one  at  best.     What  tormented  me  most  was  the  reflec- 
tion that  if  the  ice  stopped  us  now  we  could  have  no 
assurance   that  it  would  not  do  the  same  at   the  same 
time  next  year;   it  has  been  observed  so  often  that  sev- 
eral bad  ice-years  come  together,  and  this  was  evidently 
none  of  the  best.     Though  I  would  hardly  confess  the 
feeling  of  depression  even  to  myself,  I  must  say  that  it 
was  not  on  a  bed  of  roses  I  lay  these  nights  until  sleep 
came  and  carried  me  off  into  the  land  of  forgetful ness. 


I 


LARS    PETTERSEN 

{From  It  fhotograftlt  taken  in  IS'J':) 


t  i 


n 


i  t 


; 


m  ■  'K 

■■;''  '^^ 


r 


yOVAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


207 


Wednesday,  the  6th  of  September,  was  the  anniversary 
of  my  wedding-day.     I  was  superstitious  enough  to  feel 
when    I   awoke    in    the    morning  that   this   day    would 
bring  a  change,  if  one  were  coming  at  all.     The  storm 
had   gone  down  a  little,  the    sun    peeped    out,  and  life 
seemed  brighter.     The  wind  quieted  down  altogether  in 
the  course  of  the  afternoon,  the  weather  becoming  calm 
and  beautiful.     The  strait  to  the  north  of  us,  which  was 
blocked  before  with  solid  ice,  had  been  swept  open  by 
the  storm ;  but  the  strait  to  the  east,  where  we  had  been 
with    the    boat,  was   firmly  blocked,  and    if  we  had  not 
turned  when  we  did  that  evening  we  should  have  been 
there  yet,  and  for  no  one  knows  how  long.     It  seemed 
to  us  not  improbable  that  the  ice  between  Cape  Lapteff 
and  Almquist's  Islands  might  be  broken  up.     We  there- 
fore got  up  steam  and  set  off  north  about  6.30  - 
try  our  fortune  once   more.     I  felt  quite  sure  that  the 
day  would  bring  us  luck.     The  weather  was  still  beauti- 
ful, and   we  were  thoroughly  enjoying  the  sunshine.     It 
was  such  an  unusual  thing  that   Nordahl,  when  he  was 
working  among  the  coals  in  the  hold  in  the  afternoon, 
mistook  a  sunbeam  falling  through  the  hatch  on  the  coal 
dust  for  a  plank,  and  leaned  hard    on  it.     He  was  not 
a  little  surprised  when  he  fell  right  through  it  on   to 
some  iron  lumber. 

It  became  more  and  more  difificult  to  make  anything 
of  the  land,  and  our  observation  for  latitude  at  noon 
did  not  help  to  clear  up  matters.     It  placed  us  at  76°  2' 


t  ) 


2o8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


north  latitude,  or  about  14  miles  from  what  is  marked  as 
the  mainland  on  Nordenskiold's  or  Bove's  map.  It  was 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  these  should  be  correct,  as  the 
weather  seems  to  have  been  foggy  the  whole  time  the 
explorers  were  here. 

Nor  were  we  successful  in  finding  Hovgaard's  Isl- 
ands as  we  sailed  north.  When  I  supposed  that  we 
were  off  them,  just  on  the  north  side  of  the  entrance  to 
Taimur  Strait,  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  a  high  mountain 
almost  directly  north  of  us,  which  seemed  as  if  it  must 
be  on  the  mainland.  What  could  be  the  explanation  of 
this  ?  I  began  to  have  a  growing  suspicion  that  this  was 
a  regular  labyrinth  of  islands  we  had  got  into.  We  were 
hoping  to  investigate  and  clear  up  the  matter  when 
thick  weather,  with  sleet  and  rain,  most  inconveniently 
came  on,  and  we  had  to  leave  this  problem  for  the  future 
to  solve. 

The  mist  was  thick,  and  soon  the  darkness  of  night 
was  added  to  it,  so  that  we  could  not  see  land  at  any 
great  distance.  It  might  seem  rather  risky  to  push  ahead 
now,  but  it  was  an  opportunity  not  to  be  lost.  We 
slackened  speed  a  little,  and  kept  on  along  the  coast  all 
night,  in  readiness  to  turn  as  soon  as  land  was  observed 
ahead.  Satisfied  that  things  were  in  good  hands,  as  it 
was  Sverdrup's  watch,  I  lay  down  in  my  berth  with  a 
lighter  mind  than  I  had  had  for  long. 

At  6  o'clock  next  morning  (September  7th)  Sverdrup 
roused   me  with    the    information   that    we   had   passed 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE  KARA    SEA 


209 


Taimur  Island,  or  Cape  Lapteff,  at  3  a.m.,  and  were  now 
at  Taimur  Bay,  but  with  close  ice  and  an  island  ahead. 
It  was  possible  that  we   might   reach   the  island,  as  a 
channel  had  just  opened  through  the  ice  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  but  we  were  at  present  in  a  tearing  "  whirlpool  " 
current,  and  should  be  obliged  to  put  back  for  the  mo- 
ment.    After  breakfast  I  went  up  into  the  crow's-nest. 
It  was  brilliant  sunshine.     I  found  that  Sverdrup's  island 
must  be  mainland,  which,  however,  stretched  remarkably 
far  west  compared  with  that  given  on  the  maps.     I  could 
still  see  Taimur  Island  behind  me,  and  the  most  easterly 
of  Almquist's  Islands  lay  gleaming  in   the  sun  to  the 
north.     It  was  a  long,  sandy  point  that  we  had  ahead, 
and  I  could  follow  the  land  in  a  southerly  direction  till 
it  disappeared  on  the  horizon  at  the  head  of  the  bay  in 
the  south.     Then  there  was  a  small  strip  where  no  land, 
only  open  water,  could  be  made  out.    After  that  the  land 
emerged  on  the  west  side  of  the  bay,  stretching  towards 
Taimur  Island.     With  its  heights  and  round  knolls  this 
land  was  essentially  different  from  the  low  coast  on  the 
east  side  of  the  bay. 

To  the  north  of  the  point  ahead  of  us  I  saw  open 
water ;  there  was  some  ice  between  us  and  it,  but  the 
Fram  forced  her  way  through.  When  we  got  out,  right 
off  the  point,  I  was  surprised  to  notice  the  sea  suddenly 
covered  with  brown,  clayey  water.  It  could  not  be  a 
deep  layer,  for  the  track  we  left  behind  was  quite  clear. 
The  clayey  water  seemed  to  be  skimmed  to  either  side 


i' 


■I 


210 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


r 


•A  I 


by   the  passage  of  the  ship.       I   ordered   soundings  to 
be  taken,  and  found,  as    I   expected,  shallower  water — 
first  8  fathoms,  then  6.^,  then  5JI.      I  stopped  now.  and 
backed.      Things  looked  very  suspicious,  and  round  us 
ice-floes  lay  stranded.     There  was  also  a  very  strong  cur- 
rent running  northeast.     Constantly  sounding,  we  again 
went    slowly   forward.      Fortunately   the    lead    went   on 
showing  5  fathoms.     Presently  we  got  into  deeper  water 
— 6  fathoms,  then  6A — and  now  we  went  on  at  full  speed 
again.     We  were  soon  out  into  the  clea'-,  blue  water  on 
the  other  side.     There  was  quite  a  sharp  boundary-line 
between  the  brown  surface   water   and  the   clear  blue. 
The  muddy  water  evidently  came  from  some  river  a  little 
farther  south.  , 

From  this  point  the  land  trended  back  in  an  easterly 
direction,  and  we  held  east  and  northeast  in  the  open 
water  between  it  and  the  ice.  In  the  afternoon  this 
channel  grew  very  narrow,  and  we  got  right  under  the 
coast,  where  it  again  slopes  north.  We  kept  close  along 
it  in  a  very  narrow  cut,  with  a  depth  of  6  to  8  fathoms, 
but  in  the  evening  had  to  stop,  as  the  ice  lay  packed 
close  in  to  the  shore  ahead  of  us. 

This  land  we  had  been  coasting  along  bore  a  strong 
resemblance  to  Yalmal.  The  same  low  plains,  rising 
very  little  above  the  sea,  and  not  visible  at  any  great 
distance.  It  was  perhaps  rathe'-  more  undulating.  At 
one  or  two  places  I  even  saw  some  ridges  of  a  certain 
elevation  a  little  way  inland.     The  shore  the  whole  way 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


211 


seemed  to  be  formed  of  strata  of  sand    and   clay,  the 
margin  sloping  steeply  to  the  sea. 

Many  reindeer  herds  were  to  be  seen  on  the  plains, 
and  next  morning  (September  8th)  I  went  on  shore  on 
a  hunting  expedition.     Having  shot  one  reindeer  I  was 
on    my  way  farther  inland    in   search  of  more,  when    I 
made   a   surprising   discovery,   which    attracted    all   my 
attention    and  made  me  quite  forget  the  errand  I  had 
come    on.      It   was   a   large    fjord    cutting    its    way    in 
through   the  land  to   the   north  of  me.     I  went  as  far 
as  possible  to  find  out  all  I  could  about  it,  but  did  not 
manage  to  see  the  end  of  it.     So  far  as  I  could  see,  it 
was  a  fine  broad  sheet  of  water,  stretching  eastward  to 
some    blue   mountains  far,  far  inland,  which,  at  the  ex- 
treme limit  of  my  vision,  seemed  to  slope  down  to  the 
water.     Beyond  them  I  could  distinguish  nothing.     My 
imagination  was  fired,  and  for  a  moment  it  seemed  to 
me  as  if  this  might  almost  be  a  strait,  stretching  right 
across  the  land  here,  and  making  an  island  of  the  Chel- 
yuskin  Peninsula.      But   probably  it  was   only  a  river, 
which  widened  out  near  its  mouth  into  a  broad  lake, 
as  several  of  the  Siberian  rivers  do.     All  about  the  clay 
plains  I  was  tramping  over,  enormous  erratic  blocks,  of 
various  formations,  lay  scattered.     They  can  only  have 
been   brought   here    by  the    great  glaciers   of  the    Ice 
Age.      There  was    not  much  life  to  be  seen.      Besides 
reindeer  there  were  just  a  few  willow-grouse,  snow-bunt- 
ings, and  snipe;    and    I  saw  tracks  of  foxes  and  lem- 


'*'-: 


313 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


m 


iStl'f 


mings.  This  farthest  nojth  part  of  Siberia  is  quite  un- 
inhabited,  and  has  probably  not  been  visited  even  by 
the  wandering  nomaj.-  However,  I  saw  a  circular  moss- 
heap  on  a  plain  far  inland,  which  looked  as  if  it  mi<rht 
be  the  work  of  man's  hand.  Perhaps,  after  all,  some 
Samoyede  had  been  here  collecting  moss  for  his  rein- 
deer;  but  it  must  have  been  long  ago;  for  the  moss 
looked  quite  black  and  rotten.  The  heap  was  quite 
possibly  only  one  of  Nature's  freaks  — she  is  often  ca- 
pricious. 

What  a  constant  alternation  of  light  and  shadow 
there  is  in  this  Arctic  land.  When  I  went  up  to  the 
crow's-nest  next  morning  (September  9th)  I  saw  that 
the  ice  to  the  north  had  loosened  from  the  land,  and 
I  could  trace  a  channel  which  might  lead  us  north- 
ward into  open  water.  I  at  once  gave  the  order  to 
get  up  steam.  The  barometer  was''  certainly  low  — 
lower  than  we  had  ever  had  it  yet;  it  was  down  to  733 
mm.— the  wind  was  blowing  in  heavy  squalls  off  the 
land,  and  in  on  the  plains  the  gusts  were  whirling  up 
clouds  of  sand  and  dust. 

Sverdrup  thought  it  would  be  safer  to  stay  where  we 
were ;  but  it  would  be  too  annoying  to  miss  this  splendid 
opportunity;  and  the  sunshine  was  so  beautiful,  and  the 
sky  so  smiling  and  reassuring.  I  gave  orders  to  set  sail, 
and  soon  we  were  pushing  on  northward  through  the  ice, 
under  steam,  and  with  every  stitch  of  canvas  that  we 
could  crowd  on.     Cape  Chelyuskin  must  be  vanquished! 


ll 


it  MB«'^ 


ANTON    AMUNDSEN 

(Fyoiii  ll  photogrnfh  taken  in  December,  1H93) 


VOY.IGE   Tir ROUGH  THE  KARA    SEA 


215 


Never  had  the  Fyam  gone  so  fast;  she  made  more 
than  8  knots  by  the  log;  it  seemed  as  though  she  know 
how  much  depended  on  her  getting  on.  Soon  we  were 
through  the  ice,  and  had  open  water  along  the  land  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  We  passed  point  after  point, 
discovering  new  fjords  and  islands  on  the  way,  and  soon 
I  thought  that  I  caught  a  glimpse  through  the  large 
telescope  of  some  mountains  far  away  north  ;  they  must 
be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cai)e  Chelyuskin  itself. 

The  land  along  which  we  to-day  coasted  to  the  north- 
ward was  quite  low,  some  of  it  like  what  I  had  seen  on 
shore  the  previous  day.  At  some  distance  from  the  low 
coast,  fairly  high  mountains  or  mountain  chains  were  to 
be  seen.  Some  of  them  seemed  to  consist  of  horizontal 
sedimentary  sciiist;  they  were  flat-topped,  with  precipi- 
tous sides.  Farther  inland  the  mountains  were  all  white 
with  snow.  At  one  point  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  range 
were  covered  with  a  sheet  of  ice,  or  great  snow-field  that 
spread  itself  down  the  sides.  At  the  edge  of  this  sheet  I 
could  see  projecting  masses  of  rock,  but  all  the  inner  part 
was  spotless  white.  It  seemed  almost  too  continuous 
and  even  to  be  new  snow,  and  looked  like  a  permanent 
snow  mantle. 

Nordenskiold's  map  marks  at  this  place,  "  high  moun- 
tain  chains  inland  ";  and  this  agrees  with  our  observa- 
tions, though  I  cannot  assert  that  the  mountains  are  of 
any  considerable  height.  But  when,  in  agreement  with 
earlier  maps,  he  marks  at  the  same  place,  "  high,  rocky 


'% 


i 
ft 


li 


2l6 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


I' 

i  .1 


m\ 


^w 


If 


^r. 


V  \ 


coast,"  his  terms  are  open  to  objection.  The  coast 
is,  as  already  mentioned,  quite  low,  and  consists,  in 
great  part  at  least,  of  layers  of  clay  or  loose  earth. 
Nordenskiold  either  took  this  last  description  from  the 
earlier,  unreliable  maps,  or  possibly  allowed  himself  to 
be  misled  by  the  fog  which  beset  them  during  their 
voyage  in  these  waters. 

In  the  evening  we  were  approaching  the  north  end  of 
the  land,  but  the  current,  which   we   had   had  with  us 
earlier  in  the  day,  was  now  against  us,  and   it  seemed 
as  if  we  were  never  to  get  past  an  island  that  lay  off  the 
shore  to  the  north  of  us.     The  mountain  height  which 
I  had  seen  at  an  earlier  hour  through  the  telescope  lay 
here   some   way   inland.      It  was  flat  on  the  top,  with 
precipitous  sides,  like  those    mountains    last    described. 
It  seemed  to  be  sandstone  or  basaltic  rock  ;   only  the 
horizontal   strata   of   the   ledges  on   its  sides   were  not 
visible.      I    calculated    its  height  at  looo  to   1500  feet. 
Out  at  sea  we  saw  several  new  islands,  the  nearest   of 
them  being  of  some  size. 

The  moment  seemed  to  be  at  hand  when  we  were  at 
last  to  round  that  point  which  had  haunted  us  for  so 
long— the  second  of  the  greatest  difficulties  I  expected 
to  have  to  overcome  on  this  expedition.  I  sat  up  in 
the  crow's-nest  in  the  evening,  looking  out  to  the  north. 
The  land  was  low  and  desolate.  The  sun  had  long 
since  gone  down  behind  the  sea,  and  the  dreamy  even- 
ing  sky  was  yellow  and  gold.     It  was  lonely  and  still 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA  217 

up  here,  high  above  the  water.  Only  one  star  was  to  be 
seen.  It  stood  straight  above  Cape  Chelyuskin,  shining 
clearly  and  sadly  in  the  pale  sky.  As  we  sailed  on  and 
got  the  cape  more  to  the  east  of  us  the  star  went  with 
it ;  it  was  always  there,  straight  above.  I  could  not  help 
sitting  watching  it.  It  seemed  to  have  some  charm  for 
me,  and  to  bring  such  peace.  Was  it  my  star.?  Was  it 
the  spirit  of  home  following  and  smiling  to  me  now.? 
Many  a  thought  it  brought  to  me  as  the  Fram  toiled  on 
through  the  melancholy  night,  past  the  northernmost 
point  of  the  old  world. 

Towards  morning  we  weie  off  what  we  took  to  be 
actually  the  northern  extremity.  We  stood  in  near 
land,  and  at  the  change  of  the  watch,  exactly  at  4 
o'clock,  our  flags  were  hoisted,  and  our  three  last  car- 
tridges sent  a  thundering  salute  over  the  sea.  Almost 
at  the  same  moment  the  sun  rose.  Then  our  poetic 
doctor  burst  forth  into  the  following  touching  lines: 

"  Up  go  the  flags,  oft"  goes  the  gun ; 
The  clock  strikes  four— and  lo,  the  sun !" 


Ml 


i! 


As  the  sun  rose,  the  Chelyuskin  troll,  that  had  so  long 
had  us  in  his  power,  was  banned.  We  had  escaped  the 
danger  of  a  winter's  imprisonment  on  this  coast,  and  we 
saw  the  way  clear  to  our  goal— the  drift-ice  to  the  north 
of  the  New  Siberian  Islands.  In  honor  of  the  occasion 
all  hands  were  turned  out,  and  punch,  fruit,  and  cigars 
were  served  in  the  festally  lighted  saloon.      Somethincr 


2I8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


special  in  the  way  of  a  toast  was  expected  on  such  an 
occasion.  I  lifted  my  glass,  and  made  the  following 
speech:  "Skoal,  my  lads,  and  be  glad  we've  passed 
Chelyuskin !"     Then  there  was  some  organ-playing,  dur- 


CAPE    CHELYUSKIN,    THE    NORTHERNMOST     POINT   OF    THE 

OLD    WORLD 


*'    'f 


ing  which  I  went  up  into  the  crow's-nest  again,  to  have  a 
last  look  at  the  land.     I  now  saw  that  the  height  I  iiad 
noticed  in  the  evening,  which  has  already  been  described, 
lies  on  the   west   side    of    the   peninsula,  while  farther 
east  a  lower  and  more  rounded  height  stretches  south- 
ward.    This   last  must  be  the  one  mentioned  by  Nor- 
denskiold,  and,  according    to    his   description,   the    real 
north  point  must  lie  out  beyond  it;  so  that  we  were  now 
off  King  Oscar's  Bay;  but  I  looked  in  vain  through  the 
telescope  for  Nordenskiold's  cairn.      I  had  the  greatest 
inclination  to  land,  but  did  not  think  that  we  could  spare 
the  time.     The  ba)-,  which  was  clear  of  ice  at  the  time  of 
the  Vegas  visit,  was  now  closed  in  with  thick  winter  ice, 
frozen  fast  to  the  land. 

We  had  an  open  channel  before  us ;  but  we  could  see 
the  edge  of  the  drift-ice  out  at  sea.     A  little  farther  we-t 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


219 


we  passed  a  couple  of  small  irslands,  lying  a  short  way 
from  the  coast.  We  had  to  stop  before  noon  at  the 
northwestern  corner  of  Chelyuskin,  on  account  of  the 
drift-ice  which  seemed  to  reach  right  into  the  land  be- 
fore us.  To  judge  by  the  dark  air,  there  was  open  water 
again  on  the  other  side  of  an  island  which  lay  ahead. 
We  landed  and  made  sure  that  some  straits  or  fjords 


ON    LAND    EAST    OF    CAPE   CHELYUSKIN  (SEPTEMBER    lO,   1 893) 

on  the  inside  of  this  island,  to  the  south,  were  quite 
closed  with  firm  ice;  and  in  the  evening  the  Fram 
forced  her  way  through  the  drift-ice  on  the  outside  of 
it.     We  steamed  and  sailed  southward  along  the  coast 


f; 


% «' 


\   i 


j|    i 


m 


220 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


all  night,  making  splendid  way;  when  the  wind  was 
blowing  stiffest  we  went  at  the  rate  of  9  knots.  We 
came  upon  ice  every  now  and  then,  but  got  through  it 
easily. 

Towards  morning  (September  nth)  we  had  high  land 
ahead,  and  had  to  change  our  course  to  due  east,  keep- 
ing to  this  all  day.     When  I  came  on  deck  before  noon 
I  saw  a  fine  tract  of  hill  country,  with  high  summits  and 
valleys  between.     It  was  the  first  view  of  the  sort  since 
we  had  left  Vardo,  and,  after  the  monotonous  low  land 
we  had  been  coasting  along  for  months,  it  was  refresh 
ing  to  see  such  mountains  again.     They  ended  with  a 
precipitous  descent  to  the  east,  and  eastward  from  that 
extended  a  perfectly  fiat  plain.     In   the  course  of   the 
day  we  quite   lost  sight  of  land,  and  strangely  enough 
did  not  see  it  again  ;  nor  did  we  see  the  Islands  of  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul,  though,  according  to  the  maps,  our 
course  lay  close  past  them. 

Thursday,  September  12th.  Henriksen  awoke  me 
this  morning  at  6  with  the  information  that  there 
were  several  walruses  lying  on  a  fioe  quite  close  to  us. 
"  By  Jove !"  Up  I  jumped  and  had  my  clothes  on  in  a 
trice.  It  was  a  lovely  morning — fine,  still  weather ;  the 
walruses'  guffaw  sounded  over  to  us  along  the  clear 
ice  surface.  They  were  lying' crowded  together  on  a 
floe  a  little  to  landward  from  us,  blue  ..  ountains  ditter- 
ing  behind  them  in  the  sun.  At  last  the  harpoons  were 
sharpened,  guns  and   cartridges    ready,  and    Henriksen, 


\ti\ 


■i 

J 

1 

• 

RL'''" 

1: 

u 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


all    night,   making-   spfendKl    way;    uhen    thr   w.'ad   wa.> 
blowing  stiffest  u  -,      ,-^>    ,-a1c  of  9  knots.      We 

came  upon  ice  cveiy  now  and   then,  !)i;t  got  tlirough  it 
easily. 

Towards  morning  (Septeiiilxr  uth)  we  !«,!.!  ii?<r|.  !•,,..) 
ahead,  and   had  to  cliange  our  course   to  ,,,,  [.,  ,■,> 

ing  to  rhi-  ni!  <\xy.      When   I  came  on  deck  in;!      ■  ,,  .,,1 
^  ''^^^    ■  ■     '■'  "'  '^'''  >-ountry,  with  high  summ.rs  and 

valleys   !.,(::.:    ...      ^     .,...  the  first  virw  (.f  tlu:  sort   since 
^^■'^  '^'■''   '■"    ■  ano,  after  the  monotonous   hwv  land 

we  had  uceu  coasiing  along  for  months,  it  was  refresh- 
ing to  see  such  mountains  again.  i  iiey  ended  wiiji  a 
precij)iious  descent  to  th.e  east,  and  .-astward  from  th.it 
extend  ■  :  ,HM-fectIy  fiat  plain.  In  ih-  ...urse  of  t!ie 
day  we  11.  ,  ;.t  sight   (if   land,  aiid   strang<-!v  'Minngh 

did  not  S..-1.'   it  again  ;   nor  did  w--  ■  .       .'  St 

Peter  and   St.  Paui,  tliongh,  accord, 
'I  i -ii'se  lay  close  pas; 

Thurs(i_^        -ptem!,    :     •.';       flcnriksc!)    awoke     me 
this    niornhig    at    o    wiiii     tii,     K.iormatio'i    that    there 
we^e   sexTiai  walruses   iyiuL;    m,   a  Hoe  quite  close  to  us. 
"  ''"  '-'     '"      i'p   1   jumped  and    had   e!\' clotln-s  on    : 
^''^'        '      '    ■    '    '       '     M-riung — hue,  still  weatc. 
walru.^es    gviitaw  .sourided    over    to    us    ajono-    ^i,. 

"'  •  ,  crowded    together   on    a 

'■  ^1  '!"'■■■  i'-idward  from  us,  !:>lue   mountams  giitier- 

ing  behind  them  m  tiie  sun.      .\i  lasi  the  harpoons  were 

sharpened,  gu:  ,,  a    n^nriksen, 


a 


H 
D 


S 

o 
o 

I 

o 

H 

B 
H 

> 

w 


r 


i« 


^^ 


py: 


Sf, 


there 

us. 

n   in   a 

.   ihc 


y 
&> 


Ti 


-:^- 


<H'tn 


1 1.: 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


221 


Juell,  and  I  set  off.  There  seemed  to  be  a  slight  breeze 
from  the  south,  so  we  rowed  to  the  north  side  of  the  floe, 
to  get  to  leeward  of  the  animals.  From  time  to  time 
their  sentry  raised  his  head,  but  apparently  did  not  see 
us.  We  advanced  slowly,  and  soon  we  were  so  near  that 
we  had  to  row  very  cautiously.  Juell  kept  us  going,  while 
Henriksen  was  ready  in  the  bow  with  a  harpoon,  and  I 
behind  him  with  a  gun.  The  moment  the  sentry  raised 
his  head  the  oars  stopped,  and  we  stood  motionless; 
when  he  sunk  it  again,  a  few  more  strokes  brought  us 
nearer. 

Body  to  body  they  lay  close-packed  on  a  small  floe, 
old  and  young  ones  mixed.  Enormous  masses  of  flesh 
they  were!  Now  and  again  one  of  the  ladies  fanned 
herself  by  moving  one  of  her  flappers  backward  and 
forward  over  her  body ;  then  she  lay  quiet  again  on  her 
back  or  side.  "Good  gracious!  what  a  lot  of  meat!" 
said  Juell,  who  vas  cook.  More  and  more  cautiously 
we  drew  near.  While  I  sat  ready  with  the  gun,  Hen- 
riksen took  a  good  grip  of  the  harpoon  shaft,  and  as  the 
boai  touched  the  floe  he  rose,  and  off  flew  the  harpoon. 
But  it  struck  too  high,  glanced  off  the  tough  hide,  and 
skipped  over  the  backs  of  the  animals.  Now  there  was 
a  pretty  to  do !  Ten  or  twelve  great  weird  faces  glared 
upon  us  at  once;  the  colossal  creatures  twisted  them- 
selves round  with  incredible  celerity,  and  came  waddling 
with  lifted  heads  and  hollow  bellowings  to  the  edo-e  of 
the  ice  where  we  lay.     It  was  undeniably  an  imposing 


322 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\    II 


%.     , 


sight;  but   I  laid  my  gun  to  my  shoulder  and  fired  at 

one  of  the  biggest  heads.     The  animal  staggered,  and 

then  fell  head  foremost  into  the  water.     Now  a  ball  into 

another  head;  this  creature  fell  too,  but  was  able  t^  ^'  ufr 

itself  into  the  sea.     And  now  the  whole  herd  daslica  ni, 

and  we  as  well  as  they  were  hidden  in  spray.     It  had  all 

happened  in  a  few  seconds.     But  up  they  came  again 

immediately  round   the  boat,  the  one   head  bigger  and 

uglier  than  the  other,  their  young  ones  close  beside  them. 

They  stood  up  in  the  water,  bellowed  and  roared  till  the 

air  trembled,  threw  themselves  forward  towards  us,  then 

rose  up  again,  and  new  bellowings  filled  the  air.     Then 

they  rolled    over  and  disappeared    with    a   splash,  then 

bobbed    up  again.     The  water   foamed    and    boiled   for 

yards  around — the  ice-world  that  had  been  so  still  before 

seemed  in  a  moment  to  have  been  transformed  into  a 

raging  bedlam.     Any  moment  we  might  expect  to  have 

a  walrus  tusk  or  two  through  the  boat,  or  to  be  heaved 

up  and  capsized.     Something  of  tliis  kind  was  the  very 

least  that  could  happen  after  such  a  terrible  commotion. 

But  the  hurly-burly  went  on  and  nothing  came  of  it.     i 

again  picked  out  my  victims.     They  went  on  bellowing 

and  grunting  like  the  others,  but  with  blood  streaming 

from   their  mouths  and   noses.     Another  ball,  and  one 

tumbled  over  and  floated  on  the  water ;    now  a  ball  to 

the  second,  and   it  did  the  same.     Henriksen  was  ready 

with  the  harpoons,  and  secured  them  both.     One  more 

was  shot;    but  we  had   no  more   harpoons,  and   had  to 


^ 


a. 


> 

r. 
O 

JO 

w 

50 

Si" 

O 

o 


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M 

> 

W 
y. 

O 

M 
> 

H 

H 
> 


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f 

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i 


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! 

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i 


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lit' 


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,»  ■ ' 

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ti 

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1:        ■ 

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1, 

1 

P        ■       ' 

M 

■                        ' 
It, 

VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


225 


Strike  a  seal-hook  into  it  to  hold  it  up.  The  hook 
slipped,  however,  and  the  animal  sank  before  we  could 
save  it.  While  we  were  towing  our  booty  to  an  ice-floe 
we  were  still,  for  part  of  the  time  at  least,  surrounded 
by  walruses;  but  there  was  no  use  in  shooting  any 
more,  for  we  had  no  means  of  carrying  them  off.  The 
Fram  presently  came  up  and  took  our  two  on  board, 
and  we  were  soon  going  ahead  along  the  coast.  We  saw 
many  walruses  in  this  part.  We  shot  two  others  in  the 
afternoon,  and  could  have  got  many  more  if  we  had  had 
time  to  spare.  It  was  in  this  same  neighborhood  that 
Nordcnskiold  also  saw  one  or  two  small  herds. 

We  now  continued  our  course,  against  a  strong  cur- 
rent, southward  along  the  coast,  past  the  mouth  of  the 
Chatanga.  This  eastern  part  of  the  Taimur  Peninsula 
is  a  comparatively  high,  mountainous  region,  but  with  a 
lower  level  stretch  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea — 
apparently  the  same  kind  of  low  land  we  had  seen  alono- 
the  coast  almost  the  whole  way.  As  the  sea  seemed  to 
be  tolerably  open  and  free  from  ice,  we  made  several 
attempts  to  shorten  our  course  by  leaving  the  coast  and 
striking  across  for  the  mouth  of  the  Olenek ;  but  every 
time  thick  ice  drove  us  back  to  our  channel  by  the  land. 

On  September  14th  we  were  off  the  land  lying  be- 
tween the  Chatanga  and  the  Anabara.  This  also  was 
fairly  high,  mountainous  country,  with  a  low  strip  by  the 
-sea.     "  In    this  respect,"  so  I   write   in    my  diary,  "  this 

whole  coast  reminds  one  very  much  of  Jaederen,  in  Nor- 

15 


226 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


|i  ! 


pf'f '  I 


Pfc 


if.''  ^; 


^ 


I  i 


way.  But  the  mountains  here  are  not  so  well  separated, 
and  are  considerably  lower  than  those  farther  north. 
The  sea  is  unpleasantly  shallow;  at  one  time  during  the 
night  we  had  only  4  fathoms,  and  were  obliged  to  put 
back  some  distance.  We  have  ice  outside,  quite  close ; 
but  yet  there  is  a  sufficient  fairway  to  let  us  push  on 
eastward." 

The  following  day  we  got  into  good,  open  water,  but 
shallow — never  more  than  6  to  7  fathoms.  We  heard 
the  roaring  of  waves  to  the  east,  so  there  must  certainly 
be  open  water  in  that  direction,  which  indeed  we  had 
expected.  It  was  plain  that  the  Lena,  with  its  masses  of 
warm  water,  was  beginning  to  assert  its  influence.  The 
sea  here  was  browner,  and  showed  signs  of  some  mixture 
of  muddy  river-water.     It  was  also  much  less  salt. 

"  It  would  be  foolish."  I  write  in  my  diary  for  this  day 
(September  15th),  "to  go  in  to  the  Olenek,  now  that  we 
are  so  late.  Even  if  there  were  no  danijer  from  shoals, 
it  would  cost  us  too  much  time — probably  a  year.  Be- 
sides, it  is  by  no  means  sure  that  the  Fram  can  get  in 
there  at  all ;  it  would  be  a  very  tiresome  business  if  she 
went  aground  in  these  waters.  No  doubt  we  should  be 
verv  much  the  better  of  a  few  more  d.oo;s,  but  to  lose  a 
year  is  too  much ;  we  shall  rather  head  straight  east  for 
the  New  .Siberian  Islands,  now  that  there  is  a  good  op- 
portunity, and  really  bright  prospects. 

"  The  ice  here  puzzles  me  a  good  deal.  How  in  the 
world  is  it  not  swept  northward  by  the  current,  which, 


VOYAGE   THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


227 


according  to  my  calculations,  ought  to  set  north  from 
this   coast,  and   which    indeed   we   ourselves   have   felt. 
And  it  is  such  hard,  thick  ice  — has  the  appearance  of 
being  several  years  old.     Does  it  come  from  the  east- 
ward, or  does  it  lie  and  grind  round  here  in  the  sea 
between  the  '  north-going '  current  of  the  Lena  and  the 
Taimur  Peninsula?     I  cannot  tell  yet,  but  anyhow  it  is 
different  from  the  thin,  one-year-old  ice  we  have  seen 
until  now  in  the  Kara  Sea  and  west  of  Cape  Chelyuskin. 
"Saturday,   September    i6th.      We    are    keeping    a 
northwesterly  course  (by  compass)  through  open  water, 
and  have  got  pretty  well  north,  but  see  no  ice,  and  the 
air  is  dark  to  the  northward.     Mild  weather,  and  water 
comparatively  warm,  as  high  as   35°   Fahr.      We   have 
the  current  against  us,  and  are  always  considerably  west 
of  our  reckoning.      Several   flocks  of   eider-duck   were 
seen  in  the  course  of  the  day.     We  ought  to  have  land 
to  the  north  of  us ;  can  it  be  that  which  is  keeping  back 
the  ice.?" 

Next  day  we  met  ice,  and  had  to  hold  a  little  to  the 
south  to  keep  clear  of  it ;  and  I  began  to  fear  that  we 
should  not  be  able  to  get  as  far  as  I  had  hoped.  But  in 
my  notes  for  the  following  day  (Monday,  September  i8th) 
I  read:  "A  splendid  day.  Shaped  our  course  north- 
ward,  to  the  west  of  Bielkoff  Island.  Open  sea ;  good 
wind  from  the  west;  good  progress.  Weather  clear^and 
we  had  a  little  sunshine  in  the  afternoon.  Now  the  de- 
cisive moment  approaches.     At  12.15  shaped  our  course 


i  I ! 


I 


228 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


if  i]  ;• 


:i'  ( 


)    \ 


north  to  east  (by  compass).  Now  it  is  to  be  proved  if 
my  theory,  on  which  the  whole  expedition  is  based,  is 
correct — if  we  are  to  find  a  Httle  north  from  here  a 
north-flowing  current.  So  far  everything  is  better  than  I 
had  expected.  We  are  in  latitude  75^°  N.,  and  have  still 
open  water  and  dark  sky  to  the  north  and  west.  In  the 
evening  there  was  ice-light  ahead  and  on  the  starboard 
bow.  About  seven  I  thought  that  I  could  see  ice,  which, 
however,  rose  so  regularly  that  it  more  resembled  land, 
but  it  was  too  dark  to  see  distinctly.  It  seemed  as  if  it 
might  be  Bielkoff  Island,  and  a  big  light  spot  farther  to 
the  east  might  even  be  the  reflection  from  the  snow- 
covered  Kotelnoi.  I  should  have  liked  to  run  in  here, 
partly  to  see  a  little  of  this  interesting  island,  and  partly 
to  inspect  the  stores  which  we  knew  had  been  deposited 
for  us  here  by  the  friendly  care  of  Baron  von  Toll ;  but 
time  was  precious,  and  to  the  north  the  sea  seemed  to  lie 
open  to  us.  Prospects  were  bright,  and  we  sailed  stead- 
ily northward,  wondering  what  the  morrow  would  bring 
— disappointment  or  hope  ?  If  all  went  well  we  should 
reach  Sannikoff  Land — that,  as  yet,  untrodden  ground. 

"  It  was  a  strange  feeling  to  be  sailing  away  north  in 
the  dark  night  to  unknown  lands,  over  an  open,  rolling 
sea,  where  no  ship,  no  boat  had  been  before.  We  might 
have  been  hundreds  of  miles  away  in  more  southerly 
waters,  the  air  was  so  mild  for  September  in  this 
latitude. 

"Tuesday,  September  19th.     I  have  never  had  such 


<m 

^  or 


I   'I'l 


J  28 


i.lRi 


S'l        J 


fl^ 


I 

% 


north   to  enst  (ijy  compass).     No^-  -t   j- 

.'1. .  :■.  ,  on   which    the   \vh' 
rorrect — if  we   arc   ir>      ,    .        ,; 

"  ■  n-flowini^  ciHTM  ; ,      :>()  la;- evervti;:.i 


proved  if 

is    'x'lscd,  is 


n.u 


,.,-*,.,-!         X\ 


in    lit-if,.,!.. 


<■      :>:;il;   liten;  wa-   ici>ht;ht   ah    -'         '   wii  uk-  Ntarbuuici 

b'-           \'-':                  \    hoiight  that  J  i:oui(l  v-.  wliich, 

how            .-      ^.'   regula'  bled  land, 

• '  see  distinct!'. .      ! .    •  ''     • 
raight  bo   IhcHvoff  island,  and      '    '.   '^     . 
iIk-    ca^t   nhg-  : 

>    red   Kotclnoi.      I  should  hn.-   llhi-d   >,     m   in  here, 

])art''                                   .'lis  in!'-  '       .'  r 

w]:ich  ih  f! 
the  f-        ■        • 


r 

K 

c 

9 
O 


111,    _Uls 


lal:  the   V 


-  Ill   ur   :,wpc  ;      \\  all   W'fit  w 


■x\^(\ — thr. 


\d\ : 


iitrodden  <•  round. 

'trth  in 
open,  rolling 


)at  ha 


oai  nad  i.x 


W  V 


•hid    hjr    Septembv 


I   ha\e 


h?,A    -;!,  h 


00 


% 


Ml  i 


^**fttfjj*' ' 


o 
O 

o 

en 

OB 


00 
CO 


E 


M-R. 


^fA^.'^W 


ii  ■', 


5 


i\    I! 


•  1^ 


I! 


I, Mi 


.'ill 


flH.^i- 

m  ' 

m* 

l^OVAGJ^   THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA  229 

a  splendid  sail.     On  to  the  north,  steadily  north,  with  a 
good  wind,  as  fast  as  steam  and  sail  can  take  us,  and  open 
sea  mile  after  mile,  watch  after  watch,  through  these  un- 
known   regions,  always   clearer   and   clearer  of  "ce  one 
might  almost  say!     How.  long  will  this  last?     The  eye 
always  turns  to  the  northward  as  one  paces  the  bndge 
It  IS  gazing  into  the  future.     But  there  is  always  the 
same  dark  sky  ahead,  which  means  open  sea.     My  plan 
was  standing  its  test.     It  seemed  as  if  luck  had  been  on 
our  side  ever  since   the   6th    of   September.      We  see 
'nothing  but  clean  water,'  as  Henriksen  answered  from 
the  crow's-nest  when  I  called  up  to  him.     When  he  was 
standing  at  the  wheel  later  in  the  morning,  and  I'  was  on 
the  bndge,  he  suddenly  said:  '  They  little  think  at  home 
in  Norway  just  now  that  we  are  sailing  straight  for  the 
Pole  in  clear  water.'     'No,  they  don't  believe  we  have 
got  so  far.'     And  I  shouldn't  have  believed  it  myself  if 
any  one  had  prophesied  it  to  me  a  fortnight  ago;  but 
true  it  is.     All  my  reflections  and  inferences  on  The' sub- 
ject  had  led  me  to  expect  open  water  for  a  good  ^^■xy 
farther  north ;   but  it  is  seldom   that  one's  inspirations 
turn  out  to  be  so  correct.     No  ice-light  in  any  direction, 
not  even   now   in   the  evening.     We  saw  no  land    the 
whole  day;  but  we  had  fog  and  thick  weather  all  morn- 
ing and  forenoon,  so  that  we  were  still  going  at  half- 
speed,  as  we  were  afraid  of  coming  suddenly  on  some- 
thing.    Now  we  are  almost  in  ^f  north  latitude.     How 
long  IS  It  to  go  on.?     I  have  said  all  along  that  I  should 


f1l  #-l 


230 


FAR2HEST  NORTH 


be  glad  if  we  reached  78° ;  but  Sverdrup  is  less  easily  sat- 
isfied ;  he  says  over  80° — perhaps  84°,  85°.  He  even 
talks  seriously  of  the  open  Polar  Sea,  which  he  once  read 
about;  lie  always  comes  back  upon  it,  in  spite  of  my 
laughing  at  him. 

"  I  have  almost  to  ask  myself  if  this  is  not  a  dream. 
One  must  have  gone  against  the  stream  to  know  what 
it  means  to  ojo  with  the  stream.  As  it  was  on  the 
Greenland  expedition,  so  it  is  here. 

" '  Dort  ward  der  Traum  zur  Wirklichkeit, 
Hier  wird  die  Wirkli':'iikeit  zum  Traum!' 


« 


41 


"  Hardly  any  life  visible  her':;.  Saw  an  auk  or  black 
guillemot  to-day,  and  later  a  sea-gull  in  the  distance. 
When  I  was  hauling  up  a  bucket  of  water  in  the  even- 
ing to  wash  the  deck  I  noticed  that  it  was  sparkling  with 
phosphorescence.  One  could  almost  have  imagined 
one's  self  to  be  in  the  south. 

"  Wednesday,  September  20th.  I  have  had  a  rough 
awakening  from  my  dream.  As  I  was  sitting  at  1 1  a.m., 
looking  at  the  map  and  thinking  that  my  cup  would 
soon  be  full  —  we  had  almost  reached  78'  —  there  was 
a  sudden  luff,  and  I  rushed  out.  Ahead  of  us  lay  the 
edge  of  the  ice,  long  and  compact,  shining  through  the 
foo-.  I  had  a  stroma  inclination  to  go  eastward,  on 
the  possibility  of  there  being  land  in  that  direction  ; 
but  it  looked  as  if  the  ice  extended  farther  south  there, 
and  there  was  the  probability  of  being  able  to  reach  a 


VOYAGE   THROUGH   THE   KARA   SEA  231 

higher  latitude  if  we  kept  west ;  so  we  headed  that  way. 
The  sun  broke  through  for  a  moment  just  now,  so  we 
took  an  observation,  which  showed  us  to  be  in  about  77° 
44'  north  latitude." 

We  now  held  northwest  along  the   edge  of  the  ice. 
It  seemed  to  me  as  if  there  might  be  land  at  no  great 
distance,  we  saw  such  a  remarkable  number  of  birds  of 
various  kinds.     A  flock  of  snipe  or  wading  birds  met  us, 
followed  us  for  a  time,  and  then  took  their  way  south. 
They  were  probably  on  their  passage  from  some  land  to 
the  north  of  us.     We  could  see  nothing,  as  the  fog  lay 
persistently  over  the  ice.     Again,  later,  we  saw  flocks  of 
small    snipe,  indicating  the  possible  proximity  of   land. 
Next  day  the  weather  was  clearer,  but  still  there  was  no 
land  in  sight.      We  were  now  a  good  way  north  of  the 
spot  where  Baron  von  Toll  has  mapped  the  south  coast  of 
Sannikoff  Land,  but  in  about  the  same  longitude.     So  it 
is  probaoly  only  a  small  island,  and  in  any  case  cannot 
extend  far  north. 

On  September  21st  we  had  thick  fog  again,  and  when 
we  had  sailed  north  to  the  head  of  a  bay  in  the  ice,  and 
could  get  no  farther,  I  decided  to  wait  here  for  clear 
weather  to  see  if  progress  farther  north  were  possible. 
I  calculated  that  we  were  now  in  about  78.^°  north 
latitude.  We  tried  several  times  during  the  day  to  take 
soundings,  but  did  not  succeed  in  reaching  the  bottom  ' 
with  215  fathoms  of  line. 

"To-day  made   the   agreeable    discovery  that   there 


— ^^-JtS'jda^-i  ■ 


I 


232 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


t  i 


are   bugs    on    board.     Must   plan    a    campais^n   against 
them. 

"  Friday,  September  22d.  Brilliant  sunshine  once 
again,  and  white  da/.zling  ice  ahead.  First  we  lay  still 
in  the  fog  because  we  could  not  see  which  way  to  gop 
now  it  is  clear,  and  we  know  just  as  little  about  it.  It 
looks  as  if  we  were  at  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
open  water.  To  the  west  the  ice  app  ,'ars  to  extend 
south  again.  To  the  north  it  is  compact  and  white — 
only  a  small  open  rift  or  pool  every  here  and  there ;  and 
the  sky  is  whitish-blue  everywhere  on  the  horizon.  It  is 
from  the  east  we  have  just  come,  but  there  we  could  see 
very  little;  and  for  want  of  anything  better  to  do  we 
shall  make  a  short  excursion  in  that  direction,  on  the 
possibility  of  finding  openings  in  the  ice.  If  there  were 
only  time,  what  I  should  like  would  be  to  go  east  as  far 
as  Sannikoff  Island,  or,  better  still,  all  the  way  to  Bennet 
Land,  to  see  what  condition  things  are  in  there ;  but  it 
is  too  late  now.  The  sea  will  soon  be  freezintr,  and  we 
should  run  a  great  risk  of  being  frozen  in  at  a  dis- 
advantageous point." 

Earlier  Arctic  explorers  have  considered  it  a  necessity 
to  keep  near  some  coast.  But  this  was  exactly  what  I 
wanted  to  avoid.  It  was  the  drift  of  the  ice  that  I 
wished  to  get  into,  and  what  I  most  feared  was  being 
blocked  by  lartd.  It  seemed  as  if  we  might  do  much 
worse  than  give  ourselves  up  to  the  ice  where  we  were 
— especially  as  our  excursion  to  the  east  had  proved  that 


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232  FARTHKST  AORTH 

are    bugs    c.i    boaiil.      Musi    plan    a.    campaign    against 
them. 

"  Friday,  September  2 2d.  Brilliant  sunshino  once 
again,  and  white  dazzling  ice  ahead.  lM"rst  we  lay  still 
in.  the  fog  because  we  could  not  see  which  way  to  go; 
now  it  is  clear,  and  wc  know  just  as  little  about  it.  It 
lof!  -  if  wo  were  at  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
open  ualei-.  To  the  west  the  ice  appears  to  extend 
south  again.  To  the  north  it  is  compact  and  white — 
only  a  small  open  rift  or  pool  every  here  and  there:  and 
the  sky  is  whilish-blue  everywhere  on  the  horizon.  it  is 
from  the  east  we  have  jusi  come,  but  there  we  c(.)uJd  see 
^ery  little;  and  for  want  of  anything  better  to  do  we 
shall  make  a  short  excursion'  i?'  ib'f:  direction,  on  the 
p(»s-ibilily  of  finding  openin;j-  •  '  ;.  ice.  If  there  ^\ere 
''•■'■    'ime,  what  I  -iifui'd  lik''  '   V^    !:■    ;        .  ■    '.  \-^■■ 

■  '  ■  ! H  unet 

■t  tJieie  ;   I'jut  it 

-,)w.     The  sea  will  soon  ijc  freezing,  aiid  wc 

great    risk    of   being  frozen   in  at  a  dis- 

>  p<,)int," 

c  explorers  have  considered  it  a  necessity 

i-ne  coast.     I'ul.  this  was  exactly  what  I 

!.       Ir   was   the   drift   of   the   ice   that    1 

:;to.  and  what   I  mo.^t  feared  was  being 

-ccmud   ah   if  we   miglit   flo  much 

up  \o  the  ice  where  we  were 

,      :■■  .on  \i>  \\\'.-     tst  had  proved  that 


a.> 

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F 1 

VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 

following  the  ice-edge  in  that  direction  would  soon  force 
us  south  again.  So  in  the  meantime  we  made  fast  to  a 
great  ice-block,  and  prepared  to  clean  the  boiler  and  shift 
coals.  « We  are  lying  in  open  water,  with  only  a  few 
large  floes  here  and  there ;  but  I  have  a  presentiment 
that  this  is  our  winter  harbor. 

"  Great  bug  war  to-day.    We  play  the  big  steam  hose 
on  mattresses,  so^a-cushions— everything  that  we  think 
can  possibly  harbor  the  enemies.     All  clothes  are  put 
into  a  barrel,  which  is  hermetically  closed,  except  where 
the  hose  is  introduced.     Then  full  steam  is  set  on.     It 
whizzes  and  whistles  inside,  and  a  little  forces  its  way 
through  the  joints,  and  we  think  that  the  animals  must 
be  having  a  fine  hot  time  of  it.     But  suddenly  tho  barrel 
cracks,  the  steam  rushes  out,  and  the  lid  bursts  off  with 
a  violent  explosion,  and  is  flung  far   along   the  deck 
I  still  hope  that  there  has  been  z.  great  slaughter,  for 
these  are  horrible  enemies.     Juell  tried  the  old  experi- 
ment  of  setting  one  on  a  piece  of  wood  to  see  if  it 
would  creep  north.     It  would  not  move  at  all,  so  he  took 
a  blubber  hook  and  hit  it  to  make  it  go;   but  it  would 
do  nothing  but  wriggle  its  head-the  harder  he  hit  the 
more  it  wriggled.     '  Squash  it,  then,'  said  Bentzen.     And 
squashed  it  was. 

"Friday,  September  23d.  We  are  still  at  the  same 
moonngs,  working  at  the  coal.  An  unpleasant  contrast 
-everythmg  on  board,  men  and  dogs  included,  black 
and  filthy,  and  everything  around  white  and  bright  in 


■m'JtM^'  riliifi    I 


234 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


fi   r'  i 


beautiful  sunshine.     It  looks  as  if  more  ice  were  driv- 


ing in. 


"  Sunday,  September  24th.  Still  coal -shifting.  Fog 
in  the  morning,  which  cleared  off  as  the  day  went  on, 
when  we  discovered  that  we  were  closely  surrounded 
on   all  sides  by  tolerably  thick  ice.     Between   the   floes 


t;  I  ^ 


THE     ICE    INTO    WHICH    THE    "  FRAM  "    WAS    FROZEN 
(SEPTEMBER    25,    1 893) 

(From  a  Vhotograph) 


lies  slush- ice,  which  will  soon  be  quite  firm.  There 
is  an  open  pool  to  be  seen  to  the  north,  but  not  a 
large  one.  From  the  crow's-nest,  with  the  telescope,  we 
can  still  descry  the  sea  across  the  ice  to  the  south. 
It  looks  as  if  we  were  being  shut  in.  Well,  we  must 
e'en  bid  the  ice  welcome.  A  dead  reoion  this ;  no  life 
in  any  direction,  except  a  single  seal  {Phoca  fcetida)  in 
the  water;  and  on  the  floe  beside  us  we  can  see  a  bear- 


VOYAGE    THROUGH  THE  KARA   SEA 


235 


track  some  days  old.  We  again  try  to  get  soundings, 
but  still  find  no  bottom ;  it  is  remarkable  that  there 
should  be  such  depth  here." 

Ugh  !  one  can  hardly  imagine  a  dirtier,  nastier  job 
^  than  a  spell  of  coal-shifting  on  board.  It  is  a  pity  that 
such  a  useful  thing  as  coal  should  be  so  black !  What 
we  are  doing  now  is  only  hoisting  it  from  the  hold  and 
filling  the  bunkers  with  it;  but  every  man  on  board 
must  help,  and  everything  is  in  a  mess.  So  many  men 
must  stand  on  the  coal-heap  in  the  hold  and  fill  the 
buckets,  and  so  many  hoist  them.  Jacobsen  is  spe- 
cially good  at  this  last  job;  his  strong  arms  pull  up 
bucket  after  bucket  as  if  they  were  as  many  boxes  of 
matches.  The  rest  of  us  go  backward  and  forward 
with  the  buckets  between  the  main-hatch  and  the  half- 
deck,  pouring  the  coal  into  the  bunkers;  and  down  be- 
low stands  Amundsen  packing  it,  as  black  as  he  can 
be.  Of  course  coal-dust  is  flying  over  the  whole  deck; 
the  dogs  creep  into  corners,  black  and  toussled ;  and 
we  ourselves — well,  we  don't  wear  our  best  clothes  on 
such  days.  We  got  some  amusement  out  of  the  re- 
markable appearance  of  our  faces,  with  their  dark  com- 
plexions, black  streaks  at  the  most  unlikely  places,  and 
eyes  and  white  teeth  shining  through  the  dirt.  Any 
one  happening  to  touch  the  white  wall  below  with  his 
hand  leaves  a  black  five -fingered  blot;  and  the  doors 
have  a  wealth  of  such  mementos.  The  seats  of  the 
sofas  must  have  their  wrong  sides  turned  up,  else  they 


I 
i 


•^^■-'■■■•-^■■-■-^^- i'^ri   -r''  •'•-1'BMj"i.. 


!3^' 


FARTJIEST  NORTH 


would  bear  lasting  marks  of  another  part  of  the  body ; 
and  the  table-cloth — well,  we  fortunately  do  not  jjossess 
such  a  thing.  In  short,  coal -shifting  is  as  dirty  and 
wretched  an  experience  as  one  can  well  imagine  in 
these  bright  and  pure  surroundings.  One  good  thing 
is  that  there  is  plenty  of  fresh  water  to  wash  with ;  we 
can  find  it  in  every  hollow  on  the  fioes,  so  there  is 
some  hope  of  our  being  clean  again  in  time,  and  it  is 
possible  that  this  may  be  our  last  coal-shifting. 

"  Monday,  September  25th.  Frozen  in  faster  and 
faster!  Beautiful,  still  weather;  13  degrees  of  frost  last 
night.  Winter  is  coming  now.  Had  a  visit  from  a 
bear,  which  was  off  again  before  any  one  got  a  shot 
at  it."  i 


CHAPTER    VI 


THE    WINTER    NIGHT 


It  really  looked  as  if  we  were  now  frozen  in  for  good, 
and  I  did  not  expect  to  get  the  Fram  out  of  the  ice  till 
we  were   on   the    other   side   of    the    Pole,  nearing   the 
Atlantic  Ocean.     Autumn    was  already  well  advanced; 
the  sun  stood  lower  in  the  heavens  day  by  day,  and  the 
temperature  sank  steadily.      The  long  night  of  winter 
was  approaching— that  dreaded  night.     There  was  noth- 
ing to  be  done  except  prepare  ourselves  for  it,  and  by 
degrees  we  converted  our  ship,  as  well  as  we  could,  into 
comfortable  winter  quarters;  while  at  the  same  time  we 
took  every  precaution  to  assure  her  against  the  destruc- 
tive influences  of  cold,  drift-ice,  and  the  other  forces  of 
nature  to  which  it  was  prophesied  that  we  must  suc- 
cumb.    The  rudder  was  hauled  up,  so  that  it  might  not 
be  destroyed  by  the  pressure  of  the  ice.     We  had  in- 
tended to  do  the  same  with  the  screw ;  but  as  it,  with  its 
iron  case,  would  certainly  help  to  strengthen  the  stern, 
and  especially  the  rudder-stock,  we  let  it  remain  in  its 
place.     We  had  a  good  deal  of  work  with  the  engine, 
too ;    each   separate   part  was  taken  out,  oiled,  and  laid 


238 


FARTHEST  NORTIf 


■\Ci 


¥■  'i>i 


away  for  the  winter;  slide-valves,  pistons,  shafts,  were 
examined  and  thoroughly  cleaned.  All  this  was  done 
with  the  very  greatest  care.  Amundsen  looked  after 
that  engine  as  if  it  had  been  his  own  child;  late  and 
early  he  was  down  tending  it  lovingly;  and  we  used  to 
tease  him  about  it,  to  see  the  defiant  look  come  into  his 
eyes  and  hear  him  say :  "  It's  all  very  well  for  you  to 
talk,  but  there's  not  such  another  engine  in  the  world, 
and  it  would  be  a  sin  and  a  shame  not  to  take  good  care 
of  it."  Assuredly  he  left  nothing  undone.  I  don't  sup- 
pose a  day  passed,  winter  or  summer,  all  these  three 
years,  that  he  did  not  go  down  and  caress  it,  and  do 
something  or  other  for  it. 

We  cleared  up  in  the  hold  to  make  room  for  a  joiner's 
workshop  down  there ;  our  mechanical  workshop  we  had 
in  the  engine  room.  The  smithy  was  at  first  on  deck, 
and  afterwards  on  the  ice;  tinsmith's  work  was  done 
chiefly  in  the  chart-room;  shoemaker's  and  sailmaker's, 
and  various  odd  sorts  of  work,  in  the  saloon.  And  all 
these  occupations  were  carried  on  with  interest  and 
activity  during  the  rest  of  the  expedition.  There  was 
nothing,  from  the  most  delicate  instruments  down  to 
wooden  shoes  and  axe-handles,  that  could  not  be  made 
on  board  the  Fram.  When  we  were  found  to  be  short 
of  sounding-line,  a  grand  rope-walk  was  constructed  on 
the  ice.  It  proved  to  be  a  very  profitable  undertaking, 
and  was  well  patronized. 

Presently  we  began  putting  up  the  windmill  which 


I" 

3 

I 


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o 

H 

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W 


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X 
w 

H 

a 
•< 

o 


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s 


M    I 


1'*!; 

THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


241 


was  to  drive  the  dynamo  and  produce  the  electric  h'ght. 
While  the  ship  was  going,  the  dynamo  was  driven  by 
the  engine,  but  for  a  long  time  past  we  had  had  to  be 
contented  with  petroleum  lamps  in  our  dark  cabins.  The 
windmill  was  erected  on  the  port  side  of  the  fore-deck, 
between  the  main- hatch  and  the  rail.  It  took  several 
weeks  to  get  this  important  appliance  into  working 
order. 

As  mentioned  on  page  71,  we  had  also  brought  with 
us  a  "  horse-mill  "  for  driving  the  dynamo.  I  had 
thought  that  it  might  be  of  service  in  giving  us  exercise 
whenever  there  was  no  other  physical  work  for  us.  But 
this  time  never  came,  and  so  the  "horse-mill  "  was  never 
used.  There  was  always  something  to  occupy  us;  and 
it  was  not  difficult  to  find  work  for  each  man  that  gave 
him  sufficient  exercise,  and  so  much  distraction  that  the 
time  did  not  seem  to  him  unbearably  long. 

There  was  the  care  of  the  ship  and  rigging,  the  in- 
spection of  sails,  ropes,  etc.,  etc. ;  there  were  provisions 
of  all  kinds  to  be  got  out  from  the  cases  down  in  the 

hold,  and   handed   over   to   the   cook ;    there  was   ice 

good,  pure,  fresh  -  water  ice  — to  be  found  and  carried 
to  the  galley  to  be  melted  for  cooking,  drinking,  and 
washing  water.  Then,  as  already  mentioned,  there  was 
always  something  doing  in  the  various  workshops.  Now 
"Smith  Lars"  had  to  straighten  the  long-boat  davits, 
which  had  been  twisted  by  the  waves  in  the  Kara  Sea; 
now  it  was  a  hook,  a  knife,  a  bear-trap,  or  something 


242 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


■\\ 


I! 


r^i(    / 


else  to  be  forged.  The  tinsmith,  again  "Smith  Lars," 
had  to  solder  togethe.'  a  great  tin  pail  for  the  ice-melting 
in  the  galley.  The  mechanician,  Amundsen,  would 
have  an  order  for  some  instrument  or  other — perhaps 
a  new  current-gauge.  The  watchmaker,  Mogstad,  would 
have  a  thermograph  to  examine  and  clean,  or  a  new 
spring  to  put  into  a  watch.  The  sailmaker  might  have 
an  order  for  a  quantity  of  dog-harness.  Then  each  man 
had  to  be  his  own  shoemaker — make  himself  canvas 
boots  with  thick,  warm,  wooden  soles,  according  to 
Sverdrup's  newest  pattern.  Presently  there  would  come 
an  order  to  mechanician  Amundsen  tor  a  supply  of  new 
zinc  music-sheets  for  ihe  organ — these  being  a  brand- 
new  invention  of  the  leader  of  the  expedition.  The 
electrician  would  have  to  examine  and  clean  the  accumu- 
lator batteries,  which  were  in  danger  of  freezing.  When 
at  last  the  windmill  was  ready,  it  had  to  be  attended  to, 
turned  according  to  the  wind,  etc.  And  when  the  wind 
v/as  too  strong  some  one  had  to  climb  up  and  reef  the 
mill  sails,  which  was  not  a  pleasant  occupation  in  this 
winter  cold,  and  involved  much  breathing  on  fingers  and 
rubbing  of  the  tip  of  the  nose. 

It  happened  now  and  then,  too,  that  the  ship  required 
to  be  pumped.  This  became  less  and  less  necessary  as  the 
water  froze  round  her  and  in  the  interstices  in  her  sides. 
The  pumps,  therefore,  were  not  touched  from  December, 
1893,  till  July,  1895.  The  only  noticeable  leakage  dur- 
ing that  time  was  in  the  engine-room,  but  it  was  nothing 


"'.'    I 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


243 


of  any  consequence :  just  a  few  buckets  of  ice  that  had 
to  be  hewn  away  every  month  from  the  bottom  of  the 
ship  and  hoisted  up. 

To  these  varied  employments  was  presently  added, 
as  the  most  important  of  all,  the  taking  of  scientific 
observations,  which  gave  many  of  us  constant  occupa- 
tion. Those  that  involved  the  greatest  labor  were,  of 
course,  the  meteorological  observations,  which  were 
taken  every  four  hours  day  and  night;  indeed,  for  a 
considerable  part  of  the  time,  every  two  hours.  They 
kept  one  man,  sometimes  two,  at  work  all  day.  It  was 
Hansen  who  had  the  principal  charge  of  this  department, 
and  his  regular  assistant  until  March,  1895,  was  Johan- 
sen,  whose  place  was  then  taken  by  Nordahl.  The 
night  observations  were  taken  by  whoever  was  on  watch. 
About  every  second  day,  when  the  weather  was  clear, 
Hansen  and  his  assistant  took  the  astronomical  observa- 
tion which  ascertained  our  position.  This  was  certainly 
the  work  which  was  followed  with  most  interest  by  all 
the  members  of  the  expedition ;  and  it  was  not  uncom- 
mon to  see  Hansen's  cabin,  while  he  was  making  his 
calcu'  I  jns,  besieged  with  idle  spectators,  waiting  to 
hear  ^  ^e  result — whether  we  had  drifted  north  or  south 
since  the  last  observation,  and  how  far.  The  state  of 
feeling  on  board  very  much  depended  on  these  results. 

Hansen  had  also  at  stated  periods  to  take  observa- 
tions to  determine  the  magnetic  constant  in  this  un- 
known   region.      These  were  carried  on    at   first  in   a 


i 


244 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\U\ 


1    ! 


THE    THERMOMETER    HOUSE 

(From  a  Photograph) 

tent,  specially  constructed  for  the  purpose,  which  was 
soon  erected  on  the  ice;  but  later  we  built  him  a  large 
snow  hut,  as  being  both  more  suitable  and  more  com- 
fortable. 

For  the  ship's  doctor  there  was  less  occupation.  He 
looked  long  and  vainly  for  patients,  and  at  last  had  to 
give  it  up  and   in  despair  take  to  doctoring  the  dogs. 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


245 


Once  a  month  he  too  had  to  make  his  scientific  observa- 
tions, which  consisted  in  the  weighing  of  each  man,  and 
the  counting  of  blood  corpuscles,  and  estimating  the 
amount  of  blood  pigment,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  num- 
ber  of  red -blood  corpuscles  and  the  quantity  of  red 
coloring  matter  (hcemoglobin)  in  the  blood  of  each. 
This  was  also  work  that  was  watched  with  anxious 
interest,  as  every  man  thought  he  could  tell  from  the  re- 
sult obtained  how  long  it  would  be  before  scurvy  over- 
took him. 

Among  our  scientific  pursuits  may  also  be  mentioned 
the  determining  of  the  temperature  of  the  water  and  of  its 
degree  of  saltness  at  varying  depths;  the  collection  and 
examination  of  such  animals  as  are  to  be  found  in  these 
northern  seas;  the  ascertaining  of  the  amount  of  elec- 
tricity in  the  air;  the  observation  of  the  formation  of  the 
ice,  its  growth  and  thickness,  and  of  the  temperature  of 
the  different  layers  of  ice ;  the  investigation  of  the  cur- 
rents in  the  water  under  it,  etc.,  etc.  I  had  the  main 
charge  of  this  department.  There  remains  to  be  men- 
tioned the  regular  observation  of  the  aurora  borealis, 
which  we  had  a  splendid  opportunity  of  studying.  After 
I  had  gone  on  with  it  for  some  time.  Blessing  undertook 
this  part  of  ni)'  duties;  and  when  I  left  the  ship  I  made 
over  to  him  all  the  other  observations  that  were  under 
my  charge.  Not  an  inconsiderable  item  of  our  scientific 
work  were  the  soundings  and  dredginors.  At  the  greater 
depths  it  was  such  an  undertaking  that   every  one  had 


i    V, 


i 


I 


I 


i 


246 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


f  ' 


to  assist ;  and,  from  the  way  we  were  obliged  to  do 
it  later,  one  sounding  sometimes  gave  occupation  for 
several  days. 

One  day  differed  very  little  from  another  on  board, 
and  the  description  of  one  is.  in  every  particular  of  any 
importance,  a  description  of  all. 

We  all  turned  out  at  eight,  and  breakfasted  on  hard 
bread  (both  rye  and  wheat),  cheese  (Dutch-clove  cheese, 
Cheddar,  Gruyere,  and  Mysost,  or  goat's-whey  cheese, 
prepared  from  dry  powder),  corned  beef  or  corned 
mutton,  luncheon  ham  or  Chicago  tinned  tongue  or 
bacon,  cod-caviare,  anchovy  roe  ;  also  oatmeal  biscuits  or 
English  ship-biscuits— with  orange  marmalade  or  Frame 
Food  jelly.  Three  times  a  week  we  had  fresh -baked 
bread  as  well,  and  often  cake  of  some  kind.  As  for  our 
beverages,  we  began  by  having  coffee  and  chocolate  day 
about;  but  afterwards  had  coffee  only  two  days  a  week, 
tea  two,  and  chocolate  three. 

After  breakfast  some  men  went  to  attend  to  the  dogs 
— give  them  their  food,  which  consisted  of  half  a  stock- 
fish or  a  couple  of  dog-biscuits  each,  let  them  loose,  or 
do  whatever  else  there  was  to  do  for  them.  The  others 
went  all  to  their  different  tasks.  Each  took  his  turn  of 
a  week  in  the  galley — helping  the  cook  to  wash  up,  lay 
the  table,  and  wait.  The  cook  himself  had  to  arranoe 
his  bill  of  fare  for  dinner  immediately  after  breakfast,  and 
to  set  about  his  preparations  at  once.  Some  of  us  would 
take  a  turn  on  the  floe  to  get  some  fresh  air,  and  to  exam- 


I 

f 

i 


A 
■^s. 


> 
o 

M 
H 


O 
03 
VI 

M 

< 

> 

H 
O 

C/2 


•^ 

A 


\         '• 


Ill 


r 

ii    til 


i.'     k 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


249 


ine  the  state  of  the  ice,  its  pressure,  etc.  At  i  o'clock 
all  were  assembled  for  dinner,  which  generally  consisted 
of  three  courses — soup,  meat,  and  dessert ;  or,  soup,  fish, 
and  meat ;  or,  fish,  meat,  and  dessert ;  or  sometimes  only 
fish  and  meat.  With  the  meat  we  always  had  potatoes, 
and  either  green  vegetables  or  macaroni.  I  think  we 
were  all  agreed  that  the  fare  was  good ;  it  would  hardly 
have  been  better  at  home ;  for  some  of  us  it  would  per- 
haps  have  been  worse.  And  we  looked  like  fatted  pigs; 
one  or  two  even  began  to  cultivate  a  double  chin  and  a 
corporation.  As  a  rule,  stories  and  jokes  circulated  at 
table  along  with  the  bock-beer. 

After  dinner  the  smokers  of  our  company  would  march 
off,  well  fed  and  contented,  into  the  galley,  which  was 
smoking-room  as  well  as  kitchen,  tobacco  being  tabooed 
in  the  cabins  except  on  festive  occasions.  Out  there 
they  had  a  good  smoke  and  chat;  many  a  story  was 
told,  and  not  seldom  some  warm  dispute  arose.  After- 
wards came,  for  most  of  us,  a  short  siesta.  Then  each 
went  to  his  work  again  until  we  were  summoned  to  sup- 
per at  6  o'clock,  when  the  regulation  day's  work  was 
done.  Supper  was  almost  the  same  as  breakfast,  except 
that  tea  was  always  the  beverage.  Afterwards  there  was 
again  smoking  in  the  galley,  while  the  saloon  was  trans- 
formed into  a  silent  reading-room.  Good  use  was  made 
of  the  valuable  library  presented  to  the  expedition  by 
generous  publishers  and  other  friends.  If  the  kind  donors 
could   have    seen   us    away  up  there,  sitting  round   the 


-.* 


250 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


table  at  night  with  heads  buried  in  books  or  collections 
of  illustrations,  and  could  have  understood  how  invalua- 
able  these  companions  were  to  us,  they  would  have  felt 


HKNKIKSEN        SVHRDRUP 


A    SMOKE    IN    THE    GALLEY    OF    THE    "  ERAM   ' 

rewarded  by  the  knowledge  that  they  had  conferred 
a  real  boon— that  they  had  materially  assisted  in  making 
the  Fram  the  little  oasis  that  it  was  in  this  vast  ice 
desert.  About  half-past  seven  or  eight  cards  or  other 
games  were  brought  out,  and  we  played  well  on  into  the 
night,  seated  in  groups  round  the  saloon  table.  One  or 
other  of  us  might  go  to  the  organ,  and,  with  the  assistance 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


J51 


of  the  crank-handle,  perform  some  of  our  beautiful  pieces, 
or  Joharsen  would  bring  out  the  accordion  and  play  many 
a  fine  tune.  His  crowning  efforts  were  "Oh,  Susanna!" 
and  "  Napoleon's  March  Across  the  Alps  in  an  Open 
Boat."  About  midnight  we  turned  in,  and  then  the  night 
watch  was  set.  Each  man  went  on  for  an  hour.  Their 
most  trying  work  on  watch  seems  to  have  been  writing 
their  diaries  and  looking  out,  when  the  dogs  barked,  for 
any  signs  of  bears  at  hand.  Besides  this,  every  two 
hours  or  four  hours  the  watch  had  to  go  aloft  or  on  to 
the  ice  to  take  the  meteorological  observations. 

I  believe  I  may  safely  say  that  on  the  whole  the  time 
passed  pleasantly  and  imperceptibly,  and  that  we  throve 
in  virtue  of  the  regular  habits  imposed  upon  us. 

My  notes  from  day  to  day  will  give  the  best  idea 
of  our  life,  in  all  its  monotony.  They  are  not  great 
events  that  are  here  recorded,  but  in  their  very  bare- 
ness they  give  a  true  picture.  Such,  and  no  other,  was 
our  life.  I  shall  give  some  quotations  direct  from  my 
diary : 

"  Tuesday,  September  26th.  Beautiful  weather.  The 
sun  stands  much  lower  now;  it  was  9°  above  the  hori- 
zon at  midday.  Winter  is  rapidly  approaching;  there 
are  14A''  of  frost  this  evening,  but  we  do  not  feel  it 
cold.  To-day's  observations  unfortunately  show  no  par- 
ticular drift  northward ;  according  to  them  we  are  still 
in  yS''  50'  north  latitude.  I  wandered  about  over  the 
floe  towards  evening.     Nothing  more  wonderfully  beau- 


II 


252 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


tiful  can  exist  than  the  Arctic  night.  It  is  dreamland, 
painted  in  the  imagination's  most  dch'cate  tints;  it  is' 
color  etherealized.  One  shade  melts  into  the  other,  so 
that  you  cannot  tell  where  one  ends  and  the  other  begins, 
and  yet  they  are  all   there.     No  forms  — it  is  all  faint,' 


"THE    SALOON    WAS    CONVERTED    INTO    A    READING-KOOM    ' 

dreamy  color  music,  a  far-away,  long-drawn-out  melody 
on  muted  strings.  Is  not  all  life's  beauty  high,  and 
delicate,  and  pure  like  this  night.?  Give  it  brighter 
colors,  and  it  is  no  longer  so  beautiful.  The  sky  is  like 
an  enormous  cupola,  blue  at  the  zenith,  shading  down 
into  green,  and  then  into  lilac  and  violet  at  thc^  edges. 
Over  the  ice-fields  there   are    cold    violet-blue  shado^ws' 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


253 


wii'ii  lighter  pink  tints  where  a  ridge  here  and  there 
catches  the  last  reflection  of  the  vanished  day.  Up  in 
the  blue  of  the  cupola  shine  the  stars,  speaking  peace,  as 
they  always  do,  those  unchanging  friends.  In  the  south 
stands  a  large  red-yellow  moon,  encircled  b}'  a  yellow 
ring  and  light  golden  clouds  floating  on  the  blue  back- 
ground. Presently  the  aurora  borealis  shakes  over  the 
vault  of  heaven  its  veil  of  glittering  silver — changing 
now  to  yellow,  now  to  green,  now  to  red.  It  spreads,  it 
contracts  again,  in  restless  change ;  next  it  breaks  into 
waving,  many-folded  bands  of  shining  silver,  over  which 
shoot  billows  of  glittering  rays,  and  then  the  glory 
vanishes.  Presently  it  shimmers  in  tongues  of  flame 
over  the  very  zenith,  and  then  again  it  shoots  a  bright 
ray  right  up  from  the  horizon,  until  the  whole  melts 
away  in  the  moonlight,  and  it  is  as  though  one  heard  the 
sigh  of  a  departing  spirit.  Here  and  there  are  left  a  few 
waving  streamers  of  light,  vague  as  a  foreboding — they 
are  the  dust  from  the  aurora's  glittering  cloak.  But  now 
it  is  growing  again ;  new  lightnings  shoot  up,  and  the 
endless  game  begins  afresh.  And  all  the  time  this  utter 
stillness,  impressive  as  the  symphony  of  infinitude.  I 
have  never  been  able  to  grasp  the  fact  that  this  earth 
will  some  day  be  spent  and  desolate  and  empty.  To 
what  end,  in  that  case,  all  this  beauty,  with  not  a  creat- 
ure to  rejoice  in  it  ?  Now  I  begin  to  divine  it. 
This  is  the  coming  earth — here  are  beauty  and  death. 
But  to  what  purpose  ?     Ah,  what  is  the  purpose  of  all 


fl 


!l 


!i 


I 


«54 


FAKTIfEST  NOA'J/f 


i  vH 


j'l" 


.•;* 


%': 


these   spheres?      Read    the   answer,  if  you   can,  in  the 
starry  blue  firmament, 

"Wednesday,  September  27th.  Gray  weather  and 
strong  wind  from  the  south  -  southwest.  Nordahl,  who 
is  cook  to-day,  had  to  haul  up  some  salt  meat  which, 
rolled  in  a  sack,  had  been  steeping  for  two  days  in  the 
sea.  As  soon  as  he  got  hold  of  it  he  called  out,  horri- 
fied, that  it  was  crawling  with  animals.  He  let  go  the 
sack  and  jumped  away  from  it,  the  animals  scattering 
round  in  every  direction.  They  proved  to  be  sand- 
hoppers,  or  Amphipoda,  which  had  eaten  their  way  into 
the  meat.  There  were  pints  of  them,  both  inside  and 
outside  of  the  sack.  A  pleasant  discovery ;  there  will  be 
no  need  to  starve  when  such  food  is  to  be  had  by  hang- 
ing  a  sack  in  the  water. 

"Bentzen  is  the  wag  of  the  party;  he  is  always  playing 
some  practical  joke.  Just  now  one  of  the  men  came  rush- 
ing up  and  stood  respectfully  waiting  for  me  to  speak  to 
him.  It  was  Bentzen  that  had  told  him  I  wanted  him. 
It  won't  be  long  before  he  has  thought  of  some  new 
trick. 

"  Thursday,  September  28th.  Snowfall  with  wind. 
To-day  the  dogs'  hour  of  release  has  come.  Until  now 
their  life  on  board  has  been  really  a  melancholy  one. 
They  have  been  tied  up  ever  since  we  left  Khabarova. 
The  stormy  seas  have  broken  over  them,  and  they  have 
been  rolled  here  and  there  in  the  water  on  the  deck; 
they  have  half  hanged  themselves  in  their  leashes,  howl- 


the 


n 

o 

H 
H 

i 
> 

> 

o 


^    > 

■?       V) 

o 

H 


5J 

o 

H 

m 

es 
> 
so 
o 
g 
w 

H 
M 
JO 
73 


i 


i^i:; 


hi 


I  I 


i.   .      I 


;    t|| 

yl  ^  '1 

J  1 

li||,' 

'f ^9 

|W"i 

THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


255 


ing  miserably ;  they  have  had  the  hose  played  over  them 


jvery  time  the  deck 


)hed;   they  have  beei 


was  wasl 

sick;  in  bad  as  in  good  weather  they  have  had  to  lie  on 
the  spot  hard  fate  had  chained  them  to,  without  more 
exercise  than  going  backward  and  forward  the  length 
of  their  chains.  It  is  thus  you  are  treated,  you  splendid 
animals,  who  are  to  be  our  stay  in  the  hour  of  need! 
When  that  time  comes,  you  will,  for  a  while  at  least,  have 
the  place  of  honor.  When  they  were  let  loose  there  was 
a  perfect  storm  of  jubilation.  They  rolled  in  the  snow, 
washed  and  rubbed  themselves,  and  rushed  about  the 
ice  in  wild  joy,  barking  loudly.  Our  floe,  a  short  time 
ago  so  lonesome  and  forlorn,  was  quite  a  cheerful  sight 
with  this  sudden  population ;  the  silence  of  ages  was 
broken." 

It  was  our  intention  after  this  to  tie  up  the  dogs  on 
the  ice. 

"  Friday,  September  29th.  Dr.  Blessing's  birthday,  in 
honor  of  which  we  of  course  had  a  fete,  our  first  great 
one  on  board.  There  was  a  double  occasion  for  it.  Our 
midday  observation  showed  us  to  be  in  latitude  79°  5' 
north ;  so  we  had  passed  one  more  degree.  We  had  no 
fewer  than  five  courses  at  dinner,  and  a  more  than  usual- 
ly elaborate  concert  during  the  meal.  Here  follows  a 
copy  of  the  printed  menu: 


(I 


I 

if 


ii 


256 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\  '< 


•FRAM' 

Menu.     September  29,  1893 


Soupe  a  la  julienne  avec  des  macaroni-dumplings. 

Potage  de  poison  (s/c)  avec  des  pommes  de  terre. 

Pudding  de  Nordahl. 

Glace  du  Greenland. 

De  la  table  biere  de  la  Ringnsees. 

Marmalade  intacte. 


Music  a  Dine  (sic) 


3- 

4. 

5- 
6. 

7- 
8. 

9- 

ID. 
II. 

12. 

13. 
14. 

15- 
16. 

17- 
18. 
19. 
20. 


Valse  Myosotic. 

Menuette  de  Don  Juan  de  Mozart. 

Les  Troubadours. 

College  Hornpipe. 

Die  letzte  Rose  de  Martha. 

Ein  flotter  Studio  Marsch  de  Phil.  Farbach. 

Valse  de  Lagune  de  Strauss, 

Le  Chanson  du  Nord  (Du  gamla,  du  friska. 

Hoch  Habsburg  Marsch  de  Krai. 

Josse  Karads  Polska. 

Vart  Land,  vart  Land. 

Le  Chanson  de  Chaseuse. 

Les  Roses,  Valse  de  Metra, 

Fischers  Hornpipe. 

Traum-Valse  de  Millocher. 

Hemlandssiing.     '  A  le  miserable.' 

Diamanten  und   Perlen. 

Marsch  de  '  Det  lustiga  Kriget.' 

Valse  de  '  Det  lustige  Kriget.' 

Priere  du  Freischiitz. 


I  hope  my  readers  will  admit  that  this  was  quite  a 
fine  entertainment  to  be  given  in  latitude  79°  north ;  but 
of  such  we  had  many  on  board  the  Fram  at  still  higher 
latitudes. 


ri'l 


DR.  BLESSING    IN    HIS    CABIN 

(From  a  /ihotograph) 


f  I 


i 

'!!■ 

i,t 

. 

ifi   ■! 


^j/ 


li . : 

1 

Sl     ,' 

'    J 

I'            1 

li 

i' 

^  ( 

;   i 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


259 


"  Coffee  and  sweets  were  served  after  dinner ;  and 
after  a  better  supper  than  usual  came  strawberry  and 
lemon  ice  {alias  granitta)  and  limejuice  toddy,  without 
alcohol.  The  health  of  the  hero  of  the  day  was  first 
proposed  '  in  a  few  well  -  chosen  words ' ;  and  then  we 
drank  a  bumper  to  the  seventy-ninth  degree,  which  we 
were  sure  was  only  the  first  of  many  degrees  to  be  con- 
quered  in  the  same  way. 

"  Saturday,  September  30th.  I  am  not  satisfied  that 
the  Frams  present  position  is  a  good  one  for  the  winter. 
The  great  floe  on  the  port  side  to  which  we  are  moored 
sends  out  an  ugly  projection  about  amidships,  which  might 
give  her  a  bad  squeeze  in  case  of  the  ice  packing.  We 
therefore  began  to-day  to  warp  her  backward  into  better 
ice.  It  is  by  no  means  quick  work.  The  comparatively 
open  channel  around  us  is  now  covered  with  tolerably 
thick  ice,  which  has  to  be  hewn  and  broken  in  pieces 
with  axes,  ice-staves,  and  walrus-spears.  Then  the  cap- 
stan is  manned,  and  we  heave  her  through  the  broken 
fioe  foot  by  foot.  The  temperature  this  evening  is 
—  1 2.6"  C.     A  wonderful  sunset. 

"  Sunday,  October  ist.  Wind  from  the  W.S.W^  and 
weather  mild.  We  are  taking  a  day  of  rest,  which  means 
eating,  sleeping,  smoking,  and  reading. 

"  Monday,  October  2d.  Warped  the  ship  farther 
astern,  until  we  found  a  good  berth  for  her  out  in  the 
middle  of  the  newly  frozen  pool.  On  the  port  side  we 
have  our  big  floe,  with  the  dogs'  camp— thirty-five  black 


ii 


26o 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\. ' 


M 


i| 


I     I 


if  I   ' 


dogs  tied  up  on  the  white  ice.  This  floe  turns  a  low, 
and  by  no  means  threatening,  edge  towards  us.  We 
have  good  low  ice  on  the  starboard  too ;  and  between 
the  ship  and  the  floes  we  have  on  both  sides  the  newly 
frozen  surface  ice,  which  has,  in  the  jDrocess  of  warping, 
also  got  packed  in  under  the  ship's  bottom,  so  that  she 
lies  in  a  good  bed. 

"As  Sverdrup,  Juell,  and  I  were  sitting  in  the  chart- 
room  in  the  afternoon,  splicing  rope  for  the  sounding- 
line,  Peter*  rushed  in  shouting,  'A  bear!  a  bear!'  I 
snatched  up  my  rifle  and  tore  out.  '  Where  is  it .?' 
'  There,  near  the  tent,  on  the  starboard  side ;  it  came 
right  up  to  it,  and  had  almost  got  hold  of  them  !' 

"And  there  it  was,  big  and  yellow,  snuffing  away  at  the 
tent  gear.  Hansen,  Blessing,  and  Johansen  were  running 
at  the  top  of  their  speed  towards  the  ship.  On  to  the 
ice  I  jumped,  and  off  I  went,  broke  through,  stumbled, 
fell,  and  up  again.  The  bear  in  the  meantime  had  done 
sniffing,  and  had  probably  determined  that  an  iron  spade, 
an  ice -staff,  an  axe,  some  tent-pegs,  and  a  canvas  tent 
were  too  indigestible  food  even  for  a  bear's  stomach. 
Anyhow,  it  was  following  with  mighty  strides  in  the  track 
of  the  fugitives.  It  caught  sight  of  me  and  stopped, 
astonished,  as  if  it  were  thinking,  '  What  sort  of  insect 
can  ///«/  be  ?'  I  went  on  to  within  easy  range ;  it  stood 
still,  looking  hard  at  me.     At  last  it  turned  its  head  a 


*  Peter  Henriksen. 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


261 


little,  and  I  gave  it  a  ball  in  the  neck.  Without  moving 
a  limb,  it  sank  slowly  to  the  ice.  I  now  let  loose  some 
of  the  dogs,  to  accustom  them  to  this  sort  of  sport,  but 
they  showed  a  lamentable  want  of  interest  in  it;  and 
'  Kvik,'  on  whom  all  our  hope  in  the  matter  of  bear- 
hunting  rested,  bristled  up  and  approached  the  dead 
animal  very  slowly  and  carefully,  with  her  tail  between 
her  legs — a  sorry  spectacle. 

"  I  must  now  give  the  story  of  the  others  who  made  the 
bear's  acquaintance  first.  Hansen  had  to-day  begun  to 
set  up  his  observatory  tent  a  little  ahead  of  the  ship,  on 
the  starboard  bow.  In  the  afternoon  he  got  Blessing 
and  Johansen  to  help  him.  While  they  were  hard  at 
work  they  caught  sight  of  the  bear  not  far  from  them, 
just  off  the  bow  of  the  Frant. 

" '  Hush  !  Keep  quiet,  in  case  we  frighten  him,'  says 
Hansen. 

" '  Yes,  yes !'  And  they  crouch  together  and  look  at 
him. 

"  '  I  think  I'd  better  try  to  slip  on  board  and  announce 
him,'  says  Blessing. 

"'I  think  you  should,'  says  Hansen. 

"  And  off  steals  Blessing  on  tiptoe,  so  as  not  to  fright- 
en the  bear.  By  this  time  Bruin  has  seen  and  scented 
them,  and  comes  jogging  along,  following  his  nose,  tow- 
ards them. 

"  Hansen  now  began  to  get  over  his  fear  of  startling 
him.    The  bear  caught  sight  of  Blessing  slinking  off  to  the 


>i' 


\ 


'  \ 


262 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\i  ' 


ship  and  set  after  him.  Blessing  also  was  now  much  less 
concerned  than  he  had  been  as  to  the  bear's  nerves.  He 
stopped,  uncertain  what  to  do;  but  a  moment's  reflection 
brought  him  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  pleasanter  to  be 
three  than  one  just  then,  and  he  went  back  to  the  others 
faster  than  he  had  gone  from  them.  The  bear  followed 
at  a  good  rate.  Hansen  did  not  like  the  look  of  things, 
and  thought  the  time  had  come  to  try  a  dodge  he  had 
seen  recommended  in  a  book.  He  raised  himself  to 
his  full  height,  flung  his  arms  about,  and  yelled  with  all 
the  power  of  his  lungs,  ably  assisted  by  the  others.  But 
the  bear  came  on  quite  undisturbed.  The  situation  was 
becoming  critical.  Each  snatched  up  his  weapon — 
Hansen  an  ice -staff,  Johansen  an  axe,  and  Blessing 
nothing.  They  screamed  with  all  their  strength,  '  Bear ! 
bear!' and  set  off  for  the  ship  as  hard  as  they  could 
tear.  But  the  bear  held  on  his  steady  course  to  the 
tent,  and  examined  everything  there  before  (as  we  have 
seen)  he  went  after  them. 

"It  was  a  lean  he -bear.  The  only  thing  that  was 
found  in  its  stomach  when  it  was  opened  was  a  piece  of 
paper,  with  the  names  '  Liitken  and  Mohn.'  This  was 
the  wrapping-paper  of  a  '  ski '  light,  and  had  been  left 
by  one  of  us  somewhere  on  the  ice.  After  this  day 
some  of  the  members  of  the  expedition  would  hardly 
leave  the  ship  without  being  armed  to  the  teeth. 

"  Wednesday,  October  4th.  Northwesterly  wind  yes- 
terday and  to-day.     Yesterday  we  had  —16°,  and  to-day 


li  , 


if  -t, 


m 


I 


.""i 


^T    LOOSE    SOME    OF    THE    DOGS 


H 


I      I 


'  IfMll 


TlfE    WINTER   NJGllT 


265 


-14°  C.  I  have  worked  all  clay  at  soiindin<;s  and  got 
to  about  800  fathoms  depth.  The  bottom  samples  con- 
sisted of  a  layer  of  gray  clay  4  to  4 A  inches  thick,  and 
below  that  brown  clay  or  mud.  The  temperature  was, 
strangely  enough,  just  above  freezing-point  (  +  0.18°  C.) 
at  the  bottom,  and  just  below  freezing-point  (-0.4"  C.) 
75  fathoms  up.  This  rather  disposes  of  the  story  of  a 
shallow  polar  basin  and  of  the  extreme  coldness  of  the 
water  of  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

"While  we  were  hauling  up  the  line  in  the  afternoon 
the  ice  cracked  a  little  astern  of  the  Fram,  and  the 
crack  increased  in  breadth  so  quickly  that  three  of  us, 
who  had  to  go  out  to  save  the  ice-anchors,  were  obliired 
to  make  a  bridge  over  it  with  a  long  board  to  get  back  to 
the  ship  again.  Later  in  the  evening  there  was  some 
packing  in  the  ice,  and  several  new  passages  opened  out 
behind  this  first  one. 

"Thursday,  October  5th.  As  I  was  dressing  this 
morning,  just  before  breakfast,  the  mate  rushed  down  to 
tell  me  a  bear  was  in  sight.  I  was  soon  on  deck  and 
saw  him  coming  from  the  south,  to  the  lee  of  us.  He 
was  still  a  good  way  off,  but  stopped  and  looked  about. 
Presently  he  lay  down,  and  Henriksen  and  I  started  of¥ 
across  the  ice,  and  were  lucky  enough  to  send  a  bullet 
into  his  breast  at  about  310  yards,  just  as  he  was  mov- 
ing off. 

"We  are  making  everything  snug  for  the  winter  and 
for  the   ice  -  pressure.     This  afternoon    we  took  up  the 


\  i 


\  i 


<      i| 


1 


J '11 


266 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


,<  A  It      ^■ 


'I'll 


rudder.  Beautiful  weather,  but  cold,  -i8°  C.  at  8  p.m. 
The  result  of  the  medical  insijcction  to-day  was  the  dis- 
covery that  we  still  have  bugs  on  board ;  and  I  do  not 
know  what  we  are  to  do.  We  have  no  steam  now,  and 
must  fix  our  hopes  on  the  cold. 

"  I  must  confess  that  this  discovery  made  me  feel  quite 
ill.  If  bugs  got  into  our  winter  furs  the  thing  was  hope- 
less. So  the  next  day  there  was  a  regular  feast  of  purifi- 
cation, according  to  the  most  rigid  antiseptic  prescriptions. 
Each  man  had  to  deliver  up  his  old  clothes,  every  stitch 
of  them,  wash  himself,  and  dress  in  new  ones  from  top  to 
toe.  All  the  old  clothes,  fur  rugs,  and  such  things,  were 
carefully  carried  up  on  to  the  deck,  and  kept  there  the 
whole  winter.  This  was  more  than  even  these  animals 
could  stand;  53^  C.  of  cold  proved  to  be  too  much  for 
them,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  them.  As  the  bug  is  made 
to  say  in  the  popular  rhyme: 


"  '  Put  me  in  the  boiling  pot,  and  shut  nie  down  tight ; 
But  don't  leave  me  out  on  a  cold  winter  night ! ' 


"Friday,  October  6th.  Cold,  down  to  ii""  below  zero 
(Fahr.).  To-day  we  have  begun  to  rig  up  the  windmill. 
The  ice  has  been  packing  to  the  north  of  the  Franis 
stern.  As  the  dogs  will  freeze  if  they  are  kept  tied  up 
and  get  no  exercise,  we  let  them  loose  this  afternoon, 
and  are  going  to  try  if  we  can  leave  them  so.  Of  course 
they  at  once  began  to  fight,  and  some  poor  creatures 
limped   away  from   the  battle-field  scratched  and   torn. 


H 


V, 


o 


> 

5  So 


55 

r 

M 
y. 

O 

o 

25 


> 
> 


c 

>T1 


2! 


H 
O 

w 


s   O 


K 


•I 


-1 


fi; 


r  I! 

1,   I 


',,i 

:       , 

u^.t 

?; 

M 

i 

1 1 1 

I 

yi.^^ 

THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


269 


But  otherwise  great  joy  prevailed ;  they  leaped,  and  ran, 
and  rolled  themselves  in  the  snow.  Brilliant  aurora  in 
the  evening. 

"  Saturday,  October  7th.  Still  cold,  with  the  same 
northerly  wind  we  have  had  all  these  last  days.  I  am 
afraid  we  are  drifting  far  south  now.  A  few  days  ago 
we  were,  according  to  the  observations,  in  78°  47'  north 
latitude.  That  was  16'  south  in  less  than  a  week.  This 
is  too  much  ;  but  we  must  make  it  up  again  ;  we  must  get 
north.  It  means  going  away  from  home  now,  but  soon 
it  will  mean  going  nearer  home.  What  depth  of  beauty, 
with  an  undercurrent  of  endless  sadness,  there  is  in  these 
dreamily  glowing  evenings !  The  vanished  sun  has  left 
its  track  of  melancholy  flame.  Nature's  music,  which 
fills  all  space,  is  instinct  with  sorrow  that  all  this  beauty 
should  be  spread  out  day  after  day,  week  after  week, 
year  after  year,  over  a  dead  world.  Why .''  Sunsets  are 
always  sad  at  home  too.  This  thought  makes  the  sight 
seem  doubly  precious  here  and  doubly  sad.  There  is 
red  burning  blood  in  the  west  against  the  cold  snow — 
and  to  think  that  this  is  the  sea,  stiffened  in  chains,  in 
death,  and  that  the  sun  will  soon  leave  us,  and  we  shall 
be  in  the  dark  alone !  '  And  the  earth  was  without  form 
and  void ;'  is  this  the  sea  that  is  to  come.? 

"  Sunday,  October  8th.  Beautiful  weather.  Made  a 
snow-shoe  expedition  westward,  all  the  dogs  following. 
The  running  was  a  little  spoiled  by  the  brine,  which 
soaks  up  through  the  snow  from  the  surface  of  the  ice — 


^ 


,-i 


t^ 


't 


270 


FAJ^TIIEST  AORTII 


i<f  '  ' 


1 1  ji  I 


Wi. 


flat,  newly  frozen  ice,  with  older,  uneven  blocks  breaking 
through  it.  I  seated  myself  on  a  snow  hummock  far 
away  out;  the  dogs  crowded  round  to  be  patted.  My 
eye  wandered  over  the  great  snow  plain,  endless  and 
solitary — nothing  but  snow,  snow  everywhere. 

"  The  observations  to-day  gave  us  an  unpleasant  sur- 
prise; we  are  now  down  in  78°  35'  north  latitude;  but 
there  is  a  simple  enough  explanation  of  this  when  one 
thinks  of  all  the  northerly  and  northwesterly  wind  we 
have  had  lately,  with  open  water  not  far  to  the  south 
of  us.  As  soon  as  everything  is  frozen  we  must  go  north 
again;  there  can  be  no  question  of  that;  but  none  the 
less  this  state  of  matters  is  unpleasant.  I  find  some 
comfort  in  the  fact  that  we  have  also  drifted  a  little 
east,  so  that  at  all  events  w^e  have  kept  with  the  wind 
and  are  not  drifting  down  westward. 

"  Monday,  October  9th.  I  was  feverish  both  during 
last  night  and  to-day.  Goodness  knows  what  is  the 
meaning  of  such  nonsense.  When  I  was  taking  water 
samples  in  the  morning  I  discovered  that  the  water- 
lifter  suddenly  stopped  at  the  depth  of  a  little  less  than 
80  fathoms.  It  was  really  the  bottom.  So  we  have 
drifted  south  again  to  the  shallow  water.  We  let  the 
weight  lie  at  the  bottom  for  a  little,  and  saw  by  the  line 
that  for  the  moment  we  were  drifting  north.  This  was 
some  small  comfort,  anyhow. 

"  All  at  once  in  the  afternoon,  as  we  were  sitting  idly 
chattering,  a  deafening  noise  began,  and  the  whole  ship 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


271 


shook.  This  was  the  first  ice -pressure.  Every  one 
rushed  on  deck  to  look.  The  Fram  behaved  beauti- 
fully, as  I  had  expected  she  would.  On  pushed  the  ice 
with  steady  pressure,  but  down  under  us  it  had  to  go, 
and  we  were  slowly  lifted  up.  These  '  squeezings '  con- 
tinued off  and  on  all  the  afternoon,  and  were  sometimes 
so  strong  that  the  Fram  was  lifted  several  feet ;  but  then 
the  ice  could  no  longer  bear  her,  and  she  broke  it  below 
her.  Towards  evening  the  whole  slackened  again,  till 
we  lay  in  a  good-sized  piece  of  open  water,  and  had  hur- 
riedly to  moor  her  to  our  old  floe,  or  we  should  have 
drifted  off.  There  seems  to  be  a  good  deal  of  move- 
ment in  the  ice  here,  Peter  has  just  been  telling  us 
that  he  hears  the  dull  booming  of  strong  pressures  not 
far  off. 

"Tuesday,  October  loth.  The  ice  continues  dis- 
turbed. 

"Wednesday,  October  nth.  The  bad  news  was 
brought  this  afternoo  t  that  '  Job '  is  dead,  torn  in  pieces 
by  the  other  dogs.  He  was  found  a  good  way  from  the 
ship,  '  Old  Suggen '  lying  watching  the  corpse,  so  that 
no  other  dog  could  get  to  it.  They  are  wretches,  these 
dogs;  no  day  passes  without  a  fight.  In  the  day-time 
one  of  us  is  generally  at  hand  to  stop  it,  but  at  night 
they  seldom  fail  to  tear  and  bite  one  of  their  comrades. 
Poor  'Barabbas'  is  almost  frightened  out  of  his  wits. 
He  stays  on  board  now,  and  dares  not  venture  on  the 
ice,  because  he  knows  the  other  monsters  would  set  on 


0 


!■?     :A 


ii 


A 


!.:, 


(,,« 


272 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


f'.'    i 


tAi 


him.  There  is  not  a  trace  of  chivalry  about  these  curs. 
When  there  is  a  fight,  the  whole  pack  rush  like  wild 
beasts  on  the  loser.     But  is  it  not,  perhaps,  the  law  of 


.'/^ 


M?^^' 


DOGS    CHAINED    ON    THE    ICE 

nature  that  the  strong,  and  not  the  weak,  should  be  pro- 
tected ?  Have  not  we  human  beings,  perhaps,  been  tr}-- 
ing  to  turn  nature  topsy-turvy  by  protecting  and  doincr 
our  best  to  keep  life  in  all  the  weak  ? 

"  The  ice  is  restless,  and  has  pressed  a  good  deal 
to-day  again.  It  begins  with  a  gentle  crack  and  moan 
along  the  side  of  the  ship,  which  gradually  sounds  louder 
in  e\cry  key.  Now  it  is  a  high  plaintive  tone,  now  it 
is  a  grumble,  now  it  is  a  snarl,  and  the  ship  gives  a 
start  up.     The  noise  steadily  grows  till  it  is  like  all  the 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


273 


pipes  of  an   organ ;    the  ship  trembles  and  shakes,  and 
rises  by  fits  and   starts,  or   is  sometimes  gently  lifted. 
There  is  a  pleasant,  comfortable  feeling  in  sitting  listen- 
ing to  all  this  uproar  and  knowing  the  strength  of  our 
ship.     Many  a  one  would  have  been  crushed  long  ago. 
But  outside  the  ice  is  ground  against  our  ship's  sides, 
the  piles  of  broken-up  floe  are  forced  under  her  heavy, 
invulnerable  hull,  and  we  lie  as  if  in  a  bed.     Soon  the 
noise  begins  to  die  down;    the  ship  sinks  into  its  old 
position  again,  and  presently  all  is  silent  as  before.     In 
several  places  round  us  the  ice  is  piled  up,  at  one  spot 
to  a  considerable  height.     Towards  evening  there  was  a 
slackening,  and  we  lay  again  in  a  large,  open  pool. 

"Thursday,  October    12th.    In   the  morning  we  and 
our  floe  were  drifting  on  blue  water  in  the  middle  of  a 
large,  open  lane,  which  stretched  far  to  the  north,  and  in 
the  north  the  atmosphere  at  the  horizon  was  dark  and 
blue.     As  far  as  we  could  see  from  the  crow's-nest  with 
the  small  field-glass,  there  was  no  end  to  the  open  water, 
with  only  single  pieces  of  ice  sticking  up  in  it  here  and 
there.     These    are    extraordinary  changes.     I  wondered 
if  we  should  prepare  to  go  ahead.     But  they  had  long 
ago  taken   the   machinery  to  pieces  for   the  winter,  so 
that  it  would  be  a  matter  of  time  to  get  it  ready  for 
use  again.     Perhaps   it  would  be  best  to  wait  a  little. 
Clear   weather,  with    sunshine— a  beautiful,   inspiriting 
winter  day— but  the  same  northerly  wind.     Took  sound- 
ings, and  found  50  fathoms  of  water  (90  metres).     We 


274 


FA  RICHEST  NORTH 


n  '  ' 


are  drifting  slowly  southward.  Towards  evening  the 
ice  packed  together  again  with  much  force ;  but  the 
Fram  can  hold  her  own.  In  the  afternoon  I  fished  in 
a  depth  of  about  27  fathoms  (50  metres)  with  Murray's 
silk  net,*  and  had  a  good  take,  especially  of  small  crusta- 
ceans {Copepoda,  Ostracoda,  Aniphipoda,  etc.)  and  of  a 
little  Arctic  worm  [Spadelld)  that  swims  about  ■■  '  r  :ea. 
It  is  horribly  difficult  to  manage  a  little  fishing  1:  No 

sooner  have  you  found  an  opening  to  slip  your  tackle 
through  than  it  begins  to  close  again,  and  you  have  to 
haul  up  as  hard  as  you  can,  so  as  not  to  get  the  line 
nipped  and  lose  everything.  It  is  a  pity,  for  there  are 
interesting  hauls  to  be  made.  One  sees  phosphores- 
cence! in  the  water  here  whenever  there  is  the  smallest 
opening  in  the  ice.  There  is  by  no  means  such  a  scarc- 
ity of  animal  life  as  one  might  expect. 

"  Friday,  October  13th.  Now  we  are  in  the  very  midst 
of  what  the  prophets  would  have  had  us  dread  so  much. 
The  ice  is  pressing  and  packing  round  us  with  a  noise 
like  thunder.  It  is  piling  itself  up  into  long  walls,  and 
heaps  high  enough  to  reach  a  good  way  up  the  Frams 
rigging;  in  fact,  it  is  trying  its  very  utmost  to  grind  the 
Fram  into  powder.     But  here  we  sit  quite  tranquil,  not 


*Tliis  silk  bag-net  is  intended  to  be  dragged  after  a  boat  or  ship  to 
catch  the  living  animals  or  plant  organisms  at  various  depths.  We  used 
them  constantly  during  our  drifting,  sinking  them  to  dififerent  depths 
under  the  ice,  and  they  often  brought  up  rich  spoils. 

tThis  phosphorescence  is  principally  due  to  small  luminous  Crus- 
tacea {Copepoda). 


n 


9 


)     1 


$ 


WE    LAY    IN    OPEN    WATER 

(From  a  photograph) 


I 


^R ;  r^HB 

HBa^HV 

^^P^TM^^B 

I^Kh^Bs^^l 

I  n 


■•!l«  ,;■ 


•'■M\ 


mti 

•  i 

!  ' 

^ma 

:      . 

,!^ 

■■■SItH 

! 

ij. 

^^^»(I3 

f\  -fl 

■ii 

tlli 

.» 

1 

n 

ll 

f 

THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


277 


even  going  up  to  look  at  all  the  hurly-burly,  but  just 
chatting  and  laughing  as  usual.     Last  night  there  was 
tremendous  pressure  round  our  old  dog- floe.     The  ice 
had   towered   up  higher  than   the   highest  point  of  the 
floe  and  hustled  down  upon  it.     It  had  quite  spoiled  a 
well,  where  we  till  now  had  found  good  drinking-water, 
filling   it    with    brine.      Furthermore,  it   had   cast  itself 
over  our  stern   ice -anchor  and  part  of  the   steel  cable 
which  held  it,  burying  them  so  effectually  that  we  had 
afterwards  to  cut  the  cable.     Then  it  covered  our  planks 
and  sledges,  which  stood  on  the  ice.     Before  long  the 
dogs  were  in  danger,  and  the  watch  had  to  turn  out  all 
hands  to  save  them.     At  last  the  floe  split  in  two.    This 
morning  the  ice  was  one  scene  of  melancholy  confusion, 
gleaming  in  the  most  glorious  sunshine.      Piled  up  all 
round  us  were  high,  steep  ice  walls.     Strangely  enough, 
we  had  lain  on  the  very  verge  oi  the  worst  confusion, 
and  had  escaped  with  the  loss  of  an  ice-anchor,  a  piece 
of  steel  cable,  a  few  planks  and  other  bits  of  wood,  and 
half  of  a  Samoyede  sledge,  all  of  which  might  have  been 
saved  if  we  had  looked  after  them  in  time.      But  the 
men  have  grown  so  indifferent  to  the  pressure  now  that 
they  do  not  even  go  up  to  look,  let  it  thunder  ever  so 
hard.     They  feel  that  the  ship  can  stand  it,  and  so  long 
as  that  is  the  case  there  is  nothing  to  hurt  except  the  ice 
itself. 

"  In  the  morning  the  pressure  slackened  again,  and 
we  were  soon  lying  in  a  large  piece  of  open  water,  as  we 


1-78 


FAN 77//': ST  NO/r/7/ 


1% 


;  !i 


\--^- 


did  yesterday.  To-day,  again,  this  stretched  far  away 
towards  the  northern  horizon,  where  the  same  dark  at- 
mosphere indicated  some  extent  of  open  water.  I  now 
gave  the  order  to  put  the  engine  together  again ;  they 
told  me  it  could  be  done  in  a  day  and  a  half  or  at  most 
two  days.  We  must  go  north  and  see  what  there  is  up 
there.  I  think  it  i)ossible  that  it  may  be  the  boundary 
between  the  ice-drift  the  Jcannritc  was  in  and  the  pack 
we  are  now  drifting  south  with— or  can  it  be  land? 

"  We  had  kept  com|)any  quite  long  enough  with  the 
old,  now  broken-up  floe,  so  worked  ourselves  a  little  way 
astern   after  dinner,  as  the   ice  was  beginning  to  draw 
together.     Towards  evening  the  pressure  began  again  in 
earnest,  and  was  especially  bad  round  the  remains  of  our 
old  floe,  so  that  I  believe  we  may  congratulate  ourselves 
on  having  left  it.     It  is  evident  that  the  pressure  here 
stands  in  connection  with,  is  perhaps  caused  by,  the  tidal 
wave.     It  occurs  with   the  greatest  regularity.     The  ice 
slackens    twice    and    packs    twice    in    24    hours.       The 
pressure  has  hajjpened  about  4,  5,  and  6  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and   almost  at  exactly  the  same  hour  in   the 
afternoon,  and  in  between  we  have  always  lain  for  some 
part  of  the  time  in  open  water.     The  very  great  pressure 
just  now  is  probably  due  to  the  spring-tide;  we  had  new 
moon  on  the  9th,  which  was  the  first  day  of  the  press- 
ure     Then  it  was  just  after  mid-day  when  we  noticed 
it,  but  it  has   been    later  every  day,  and   now  it  is  at 

8   P.M." 


TJIK    WfiWTEN   NlGIfT 


279 


The   theory  of  the    ice  -  pressure   b(!ing  caused   to  a 
considerable    extent    by    the    tidal    wave    has    been    ad- 
vanced   repeatedly    by    Arctic    explorers.      During    the 
Fram's  drifting  we   had  better   opportunity  than    most 
of  them  to  study  this  phenomenon,  and  our  experience 
seems  to  leave  no  doubt  that  over  a  wide  region  the 
tide    produces    movement   and   pressure   of   the   ice.     It 
occurs  especially  at   the   time  of   the  spring- tides,  and 
n-iore  at  new  moon  than  at  full  moon.     During  the  in- 
tervening jieriods  there  was,  as  a  rule,  little  or  no  trace 
of  pressure.     But  these  tidal   pressures   did    not   occur 
during    the   whole    time   of   our    drifting.     We    noticed 
them  especially  the  first  autumn,  while  we  were  in  the 
neighborhood   of   the   open    sea   north    of   Siberia,  and 
the  last  year,   when    the  Fram   was   drawing   near   the 
open  Atlantic  Ocean;    they  were  less   noticeable  while 
we  were  in  the  polar  basin.     Pressure  occurs  here  more 
irregularly,   and    is    mainly   caused    by   the    wind    driv- 
ing  the    ice.      When    one    pictures    to   one's   self   these 
enormous   ice -masses,    drifting   in    a    certain   direction, 
suddenly  meeting  hinderances  — for  example,  ice-masses 
drifting  from  the  opposite  direction,  owing  to  a  change 
of   wind    in    some   more  or  less  distant  quarter  — it    is 
easy  to   understand  the  tremendous  pressure  that  must 
result. 

Such  an  ice  conflict  is  undeniably  a  stupendous 
spectacle.  One  feels  one's  self  to  be  in  the  presence 
of    titanic   forces,  and    it    is    easy    to    understand    how 


i 


28o 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


i'l 


timid  souls    may   be   ovoiawcd    and   feel    as   if  nothing 
could  stand  before  it.     I<or  when  the  packing  begins  in 
earnest   it  seems  as  though  there  could  be  no  spot  on 
the  earth's  surface  left  unshaken.     First  you  hear  a  sound 
like  the  thundering  rumbling  of  an  earthquake  far  away 
on  the  great  waste;  then  you  hear  it  in  several  places,  al- 
ways coming  nearer  and  nearer.     The  silent  ice  world  re- 
echoes  with  thunders;  nature's  giants  are  awakening  to 
the  battle.     The  ice  cracks  on  every  side  of  you,  and  be- 
gins to  pile  itself  uj);  and  all  of  a  sudden  you  too  find 
yourself  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle.     There  are  bowlings 
and  thunderings  round  )ou ;  you  feel  the  ice  trembling, 
and  hear  it  rumbling  under  your  feet;  there  is  no  peace 
anywhere.    In  the  semi-darkness  you  can  see  it  piling  and 
tossing  itself  up  into  high  ridges  nearer  and  nearer  you 
—floes  lo,  12,  15  feet  thick,  broken,  and  Hung  on  the  top 
of  each  other  as  if  they  were  feather-weights.     They  are 
quite  near  you  now,  and  you  jump  away  to  save  your  life. 
But  the  ice  splits  in  front  of  you,  a  black  gulf  opens,  and 
water  streams   up.     You  turn   in  another  direction,  but 
there  through  the  dark  you  can  just  see  a  new  rid^^e  of 
rrDvmg  ice-blocks  coming  towards  you.    You  try  another 
direction,  but  there  it  is  the  same.     All  round  there  is 
thundering  and  roaring,  as  of  some  enormous  waterfall, 
with  explosions  like  cannon  salvoes.     Still  nearer  you  it 
comes.     The  floe  you  arc  standing  on  gets  smaller  and 
smaller;   water  pours  over  it;    there  can   be    no  escape 
except  by  scrambling  over  the  rolling  ice-blocks  to  ^et  to 


H: 


I    % 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


381 


the  other  side  of  the  pack.  I3ut  now  the  disturbance 
begins  to  calm  down.  The  noise  passes  on,  and  is  lost 
by  degrees  in  the  distance. 

This  is  what  goes  on  away  there  in  the  north   month 
after  month  and  year  after  year.     The  ice  is  split  and 
piled   up  into  mounds,  which  extend  in  every  direction. 
If  one  could  get  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the   ice-fields,  they 
would  seem  to   be  cut  up  into  squares  or  meshes    by  a 
network  of  these  packed  ridges,  or  pressure-dikes,  as  we 
called  them,  because  they  reminded  us  so  much  of  snow- 
covered  stone  dikes  at  home,  such  as,  in  many  parts  of 
the  country,  are   used  to  enclose  fields.     At  first   sitrht 
these  pressure-ridges  appeared  to  be  scattered  about  in 
all  possible  directions,  but  on    closer   inspection    I   was 
sure    that    I    discovered    certain    directions    which    they 
tended  to  take,  and  especially  that  they  were  apt  to  run 
at    right   angles    to  the   course   of    the    pressure    which 
produced  them.     In  the  accounts  of  Arctic  expeditions 
one  often   reads  descriptit)ns  oi  pressure-ridges  or  press- 
ure-hummocks as  high  as  50  feet.     These  are  fairy  tales. 
The  authors  of  such  fantastic  descriptions  cannot  have 
taken  the  trouble  to  measure.     During  the  whole  period 
of  our  drifting  and  of  our  travels  over  the  ice-fields  in 
the  far  north  I  only  once  saw  a  hummock  of  a  greater 
height  than   23  feet.     Unfortunately,  I  had  not  the  op- 
portunity of  measuring  this  one,  but  I  believe  I  may  say 
with  certainty  that  it  was  very  nearly  30  feet  high.     All 
the  highest  blocks  I  measured — and  they  were  many— 


■I 


28: 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


W'  ' 


m  '*• 


i^)-> 


!^ 


fl^' 


r    fi' 


had  a  height  of  i8  to  23  feet;  and  I  can  maintain  with 
certainty  that  the  packing  of  sea  ice  to  a  height  of  over 
25  feet  is  a  very  rare  exception.* 

"Saturday,  October  14th.     To-day   we  have  got  on 
the   rudder;   the  engine  is  pretty  well  in  order,  and  we 
are  clear  to  start  north  when  the  ice  opens  to-morrow 
morning.      It    is    still    slackening    and    packing    quite 
regularly    twice   a   day,    so    that    we   can    calculate    on 
it   beforehand.     To-day  we  had  the  same  open   chan- 
nel   to  the    Tiorth,  and   beyond   it   open    sea   as   far  as 
our  view  extended.     What  can  this  mean  .?     This  even- 
ing  the    pressure    has   been   pretty  violent.     The  floes 
were  packed   up  against  the  Fram  on  the  port  side,  and 
were  once  or  twice  on  the  point  of  toppling  over  the  rail. 
The    ice,   however    broke    below;    they    tumbled    back 
again,  and  had  to  go  under  us  after  all.     It  is  not  thick 
ice,  and  cannot  do  much  damage;  but  the  force  is  some- 
thing enormous.    On  the  masses  come  incessantly  without 
a  pause  ;  they  look  irresistible ;  but  slowly  and  surely  they 
are  crushed  against  the  Fratns  sides.     Now  (8.30  p.m.) 
the  pressure  has  at  last  stopped.     Clear  evening,  spark- 
ling stars,  and  flaming  northern  lights." 

I  had  finished   writing   m}-  diary,  gone    to  bed,  and 

*  Markham's  account  gives  us  to  understand  that  on  the  nortli  side 
of  Grinnell  Land  he  came  across  hummocks  which  measured  43  Icet. 
I  do  not  feel  at  ail  certain  that  these  were  not  in  reality  icebergs;  but  it 
is  no  doubt  possible  that  such  hummocks  might  be  formed  by  violent 
pressure  against  land  or  something  resembling  it.  After  our  experience, 
however.  I  cannot  believe  in  the  possibility  of  their  occurring  in  open  sea. 


■B|TU| 

'M      i 

H 

■^H!  ■ 

wp 

m      1 

THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


283 


was  lying  reading,  in  The  Origin  of  Species,  about  the 
struggle  for  existence,  when  I  heard  the  dogs  out  on  the 
ice  making  more  noise  than  usual.     I  called  into  the 
saloon  that  some  one  ought  to  go  up  and  see  if  it  was 
bears   they  were  barkiitg  at.     Hansen  went,  and   came 
back  immediately,  saying  that  he  believed  he  had  seen 
some  large  animal  out  in  the  dark.     "  Go  and  shoot  it, 
then."     That   he  was  quite  ready  to   do,  and  went  up 
agam  at  once,  accompanied  by  some  of  the  others.     A 
shot  went  off  on   deck  above  my  head,  then  another; 
shot  followed  shot,  nine  in  all.     Johansen  and  Henriksen 
rushed  down  for  more  cartridges,  and  declared  that  the 
creature  was  shot,  it  was  roaring  so  horribly;  but  so  far 
they  had  only    indistinctly  seen  a  large  grayish  -  white 
mass  out  there  in   the  dark,  moving  about  among  the 
dogs.     Now   they   were   going   on    to    the    ice  after   it. 
Four  of  them  set  off,  and  not  far  away  they  really  did 
find  a   dead  bear,  with   marks  of  two  shots.     It  was  a 
young  one.     The  old  one  must  be  at  hand,  and  the  doos 
were  still  barking  loudly.     Now  they  all  felt  sure  that 
they  had    seen    two    together,  and    that  the   other  also 
must   be    badly    wounded.      Johansen    and    Henriksen 
heard   it  groaning  in  the  distance  when  they  were  out 
on  the  ice  again  afterwards  to  fetch  a  knife  they  had 
left  lying  where  the  dead  one  had  lain.     The  creature 
had  been  dragged  on  board  and  skinned  at  once,  before 
it  had  time  to  stiffen  in  the  cold. 

"Sunday,    October    15th.     To   our  surprise,  the    ice 


'4 


iftj 


284 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


f  (f 


did  not  slacken  avvl^y  much  during  last  night  after  the 
violent   pressure;    and,  what    was   worse,  there  was  no 
indication  of  slackening  in  the  morning,  now  that  we 
were   quite   ready   to   go.     Slight    signs    of    it    showed 
themselves   a   little   later,   upon  which  I  gave  orders  to 
get   up   steam;    and  while  this   was  being  done  I  took 
a   stroll    on    the    ice,  to    look    for   traces    of    yesterday 
evening.     I  found  tracks  not  only  of  the  bear  that  had 
been    killed    and    of   a  larger   one   that   might   be   the 
mother,  but    of    a  third,   which    must   have  been  badly 
wounded,  as  it  had  sometimes  dragged  itself  on  its  hind 
quarters,  and    had   left  a  broad   track   of  blood.     After 
following   the   traces   for   a   good    way  and  discovering 
that  I  had  no  weapon  to  despatch  the  animal  with  but 
my  own  fists,  I  thought  it  would  be  as  well  to  return  to 
the  ship  to  get  a  gun  and  companions  who  would  help 
to  drag  the    bear  back.     I  had   rJso   some  small  hope 
that    in   the    meantime    the    ice    might  have  slackened, 
so    that,  in    place   of   going   after    game,  we  might  o-q 
north  with  the  Fram.     But  no  such  luck !     So  I  put  on 
my  snow-shoes  and  set  off  after  our  bear,  some  of  the 
dogs   with    me,    and    one    or   two    men   following.      At 
some  distance  we  came  to  the  place  where  it  had  spent 
the  night  — poor  beast,  a   ghastly   night!     Here   I  also 
saw  tracks  of  the  mother.     One  shudders  to  think  of  her 
watching  over  her  poor  young  one,  which  must  have  had 
its  back  shot  through.     Soon  we  came  up  to  the  cripple, 
dragging  itself  away  from  us  over  the  ice  as  best  it  could. 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


J85 


Seeing  no  other  way  of  escape,  it  threw  itself  into  a 
small  water  opening  and  dived  time  after  time.  While 
we  were  putting  a  noose  on  a  rope  the  dogs  rushed 
round  the  hole  as  if  they  had  gone  mad,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  keep  them  from  jumping  into  the  water  after 
the  bear.  At  last  we  were  ready,  and  the  next  time 
the  creature  came  up  it  got  a  noose  round  one  paw  and 
a  ball  in  the  head.  While  the  others  drew  it  to  the 
ship,  I  followed  the  mother's  tracks  for  some  way,  but 
could  not  find  her.  I  had  soon  to  turn  back  to  see  if 
there  was  no  prospect  of  moving  the  Fram;  but  I 
found  that  the  ice  had  packed  together  again  a  little  at 
the  very  time  when  we  could  generally  calculate  on  its 
slackening.  In  the  afternoon  Hansen  and  I  went  off 
once  more  after  the  bear.  We  saw,  as  I  expected,  that 
she  had  come  back,  and  had  followed  her  daughter's 
funeral  procession  for  some  way,  but  then  she  had 
gone  off  east,  and  as  it  grew  dark  we  lost  her  tracks 
in  some  newly  packed  ice.  We  have  only  one  matter 
for  regret  in  connection  with  this  bear  episode,  and 
that  is  the  disappearance  of  two  dogs — '  Narrifas '  and 
'  Fox.'  Probably  they  went  off  in  terror  on  the  first 
appearance  of  the  three  bears.  They  may  have  been 
hurt,  but  I  have  seen  nothing  to  suggest  this.  The  ice 
is  quiet  this  evening  also,  only  a  little  pressure  about 
7  o'clock. 

"Monday,  October  i6th.     Ice  quiet  and  close.     Ob- 
servations on  the  1 2th  placed  us  in  78°  5'  north  latitude. 


286 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


Steadily  southward.      This  is  almost  depressing.      The 

two  runaways  returned  this  niornincr. 

"Tuesday,  October  17th.     Continuous  movement  in 

the    ice.     It   slackened  a  little  again  during  the  night; 

some  way  off  to  starboard  there  was  a  large  opening. 

Shortly  after  midnight  there   was  strong  pressure,  and 

between   11   and   12    v.m.    came    a  tremendous    squeeze; 

since  then  it  has  slackened  again  a  little. 

"Wednesday,  October  i8th.  When  the  meteorolo- 
gist,  Johansen,  was  on  deck  this  morning  reading  the 
thermometers,  he  noticed  that  the  dogs,  which  are  now 
tied  up  on  board,  were  barking  loudly  down  at  some- 
thing on  the  ice.  He  bent  over  the  rail  astern,  near  the 
rudder,  and  saw  the  back  of  a  bear  below  him,  close  in  at 
the  ship's  side.  Off  he  went  for  a  gun,  and  the  animal 
fell  with  a  couple  of  shots.  We  saw  afterwards  by  its 
tracks  that  it  had  inspected  all  the  heaps  of  sweepings 
round  the  ship. 

"  A  little  later  in  the  morning  I  went  for  a  stroll  on 
the  ice.  Hansen  and  Johansen  were  busy  with  some 
magnetic  observations  to  the  south  of  the  ship.  It  was 
beautiful  sunshiny  weather.  I  was  standing  beside  an 
open  pool  a  little  way  ahead,  examining  the  formation 
and  growth  of  the  new  ice,  when  I  heard  a  gun  go  off  on 
board.  I  turned,  and  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  bear 
making  ofT  towards  the  hummocks.  It  was  Henriksen 
who  had  seen  it  from  the  deck  coming  marching  towards 
the  ship.     When  it  was  a  few  paces  off  it  saw  Hansen 


01  *■;/■ 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


l%7 


and  Johansen,  and  made  straight  for  them.  By  this 
time  Henriksen  had  got  his  gun,  but  it  missed  fire 
several  times.  He  has  an  unfortunate  Hking  for  smear- 
ing the  lock  so  well  with  vaseline  that  the  spring  works 
as  if  it  lay  in  soft  soap.  At  last  it  went  off,  and  the  ball 
went  through  the  bear's  back  and  breast  in  a  slanting 
direction.  The  animal  stood  up  on  its  hind-legs,  fought 
the  air  with  its  fore-paws,  then  flung  itself  forward  and 
sprang  off,  to  fall  after  about  30  steps;  the  ball  had 
grazed  the  heart.  It  was  not  till  the  shot  went  off  that 
Hansen  saw  the  bear,  and  then  he  rushed  up  and  put 
two  revolver  -  balls  into  its  head.  It  was  a  larse  bear, 
the  largest  we  had  got  yet. 

"About  midday  I  was  in  the  crow's-nest.  In  spite  of 
the  clear  weather  I  could  not  discover  land  on  any  side. 

The  opening  far  to  the  north  has  q. disappeared;  but 

during  the  night  a  large  new  one  has  formed  quite  close 
to  us.  It  stretches  both  north  and  south,  and  has  now  a 
covering  of  ice.  The  pressure  is  chiefly  confined  to  the 
edges  of  this  opening,  and  can  be  traced  in  walls  of 
packed  ice  as  far  as  the  horizon  in  both  directions.  To 
the  east  the  ice  is  quite  unbroken  and  flat.  We  have 
lain  just  in  the  worst  pressure. 

"Thursday,  October  19th.  The  ice  again  slackened 
a  little  last  night.  In  the  morning  I  attempted  a  drive 
with  six  of  the  dogs.  When  I  had  managed  to  harness 
them  to  the  Samoyede  sledge,  had  seated  myself  on  it, 
and  called  '  Pr-r-r-r,  pr-r-r-r !'  they  went  off  in  quite  good 


-m. 


288 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


*     fl 


V\      I 


style  over  the  ice.     But  it  was  not  long  before  we  came 
to  some  high  pack-ice  and  had  to  turn.     This  was  hardly 
done  before  they  were  off  back  to  the  ship  at  lightning 
speed,  and  they  were  not  to  be  got  away  from  it  again. 
Round  and  round  it  they  went,  from  refuse-heap  to  refuse- 
heap.     If  I  started  at  the  gangway  on  the  starboard  side, 
and  tried  by  thrashing  them  to  drive  them  out  over  the 
ice,  round  the  stern  they  flew  to  the  gangway  on  the  port 
side.     I    tugged,   swore,    and    tried    everything    I    could 
think  of,  but  all  to  no  purpose.     I  got  out  and  tried  to 
hold  the  sledge   back,  but  was  pulled  off  my  feet,  and 
dragged    merrily  over   the    ice   in   my  smooth    sealskin 
breeches,  on    back,  stomach,  side—just  as    it   hapjiened. 
When  I  managed  to  stop  them  at  some  pieces  of  pack-ice 
or  a  dust-heap,  round  they  went  again  to  the  starboard 
gangway,  with  me  dangling  behind,  swearing  madly  that 
I  would  break  every  bone  in  their  bodies  when  I  o-ot  at 
them.     This  game  went  on  till  they  probably  tired   of 
it,  and  thought  they  might  as  well   go   my  way  for  a 
<:hange.     So  now  they  went  off  beautifully  across  the  flat 
floe  until  I  stopped  for  a  moment's  breathing  space.     But 
at  the  first  movement  I  made  in  the  sledge  they  were  off 
again,  tearing  wildly  back  the  way  we  had  come.     I  held 
on  convulsively,  pulled,  raged,  and  used  the  whip;  but  the 
more  I  lashed  the  faster  they  went  on  their  own  way.    At 
last  I  got  them  .-topped  by  sticking  my  legs  down  into 
the  snow  between  the  sledge-shafts,  and  driving  a  strong 
seal-hook  into  it  as  well.     But  while  I  was  off  my  guard 


'rHE    WINTER  NIGHT 


289 


for  a  moment  they  gave  a  tug.  I  lay  with  my  hindcr-part 
where  my  legs  had  been,  and  we  went  on  at  lightning 
speed — that  substantial  part  of  my  body  leaving  a  deep 


MY    FIRST    ATTEMPT    AT    DOG    DRIVING 

(Drawn  hy  A.  Block) 

track  in  the  snow.     This  sort  of  thing  went  on  time  after 
time.      I  lost  the  board  I  should  have  sat  on,  then  the 
whip,  then  my  gloves,  then  my  cap— these  losses  not  im. 
19 


J 


290 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


M 


proving  my  temper.  Once  or  twice  I  ran  round  in  front 
of  the  dogs,  and  tried  to  force  them  to  turn  bv  lashino-  at 
them  with  the  whip.  They  jumped  to  both  sides  and 
only  tore  on  the  faster ;  the  reins  got  twisted  round  my 
ankles,  and  I  was  thrown  flat  on  the  sledge,  and  they  went 
on  more  wildly  than  ever.  This  was  my  first  experience 
in  dog  driving  on  my  own  account,  and  I  will  not  pretend 
that  I  was  proud  of  it.  I  inwardly  congratulated  myself 
that  my  feats  had  been  unobserved. 

"  In  the  afternoon  I  examined  the  melted  water  of  the 
newly  formed  brownish-red  ice,  of  which  there  is  a  crood 
deal  in  the  openings  round  us  here.  The  microscope 
pro/ed  this  color  to  be  produced  by  swarms  of  small  or- 
ganisms, chiefly  plants— quantities  of  diatomjE  and  some 
algae,  a  few  of  them  very  peculiar  in  form. 

"Saturday,  October  21st.  I  have  stayed  in  to-day 
because  of  an  affection  of  the  muscles,  or  rheumatism, 
which  I  have  had  for  some  days  on  the  right  side  of 
my  body,  and  for  which  the  doctor  is  '  massasine ' 
me,  thereby  greatly  adding  to  my  sufferings.  Have 
I  really  grown  so  old  and  palsied,  or  is  the  whole 
thing  imagination.?  It  is  all  I  can  do  to  limp  about; 
but  I  just  wonder  if  I  could  not  get  up  and  run  with 
the  best  of  them  if  there  happened  to  be  any  great 
occasion  for  it :  I  almost  believe  I  could.  A  nice 
Arctic  hero  of  32,  lying  here  in  my  berth!  Have 
had  a  good  time  reading  home  letters,  dreaming  my- 
self at   home,  dreaming  of  the   home-coming — in   how 


Jpit.   I 


•sk 


11 


2()0 


j:tA' IJIKS T  YOR T/f 


'»;• 


(^    i 


Vi 


provmq  my  Icmjxr.  On.  ^  ,m-  t\vi(:i>  1  i  n,  round  in  front 
of  the  dc.'gs,  and  tn'od  lo  force  them  to  tuiii  In  l.tshiii-  at 
th'ji     with   the  whip.      Thi-v  jumped   (,.  hoM.  ■   anrl 

otdv    :         nil  du'  f.i.stci- :    the  rein??  got  twi-.  ■  .'•    i 

ankles,  and  I  was  thrown  fia'  on  the  sledi" 
on  more  wildlv  than  »■■•■'       '"!'''■;  \\.i>  n,\   ,ii.^', 
in  dog  dri\in<^-  on  m\  ...  -nut,  and  1  will  r 

that  1  was  proud  of  it.  t  ;i!w.u-fliy  congratidatcd  inybc.l 
thjt  my  h'ats  ha(!  mobserved. 

(n  the  afternoon  i  examined  the  mtdted  w 
newly  forme<I  brovvnisli-red  ice,  of  whicli  there  is  a  trood 
deal  in  the  openings  round   us   hen,-.       The   nn'(  !■ 
proved  this  color  t<^  be  produced  bv  swarms  of  small  or- 
ganisms.  cliietiv  Dhints— onantitics  of  diatonirc  and  some 
alga-,  a  i 

•'  Saturday,  Octol).  , 

because  ot  an  affection  of  ^-h 
wliich    I   have  had  for   ■•    ■ 
'^:'-    h'Ociy,    and    for    win.  )■. 

'■'  thereby  greatly  adding  lo  ni)  -ur:<.:;ing.:,.  ij..,- 
i  re  ■  V  'coHn  so  old  anri  palsied,  or  is  the  '^hoio 
thing  rrr.agi nation,^  If  is  all  f  can  do  to  limp  about; 
b^'  '    •     f    I   could   not  oj'  vii!) 

>'ie   h<.:s'  if   tlverc   hapj)ened    to    b,     an^      •       ; 

occasion  I    almost    believ-    [    i.aii^;        A    ni'.^c 

/\rctic    hero    ol     32,   Iving  t,,,     Jx-rth!       Ifav-' 

had   a  good  tinie    reading    lionie    letters,  dreaming-    m\ 
self   at   home,  dreaming   of   the   hoine-i  (,ming  —  in    how 


§ 


S 


ife. 


.7: 
■a 

3 

c 


05 


c 

B 

a, 


vm  f 

m 

t^:H 

Hl^  i^i 


!r  I 


fi. 


ft  it: 


I    ' 


THE   WINTER   NJGHT 


391 


many  years?     Successful  or  unsuccessful,  what  does  that 
matter? 

"  I  had  a  soundin-  taken;  it  showed  over  n  fathoms 
(135   m,),so  we  are  in  deeper  w.iter  again.     The  sound- 
ing-line  indicated  that  wc  are  drifting  southwest.      I  do 
not  understand  this  steady  drift  southward.     There  has 
not  been  much  wind  either  lately;   there  is  certainly  a 
little  from  the  north  to-day,  but  not  strong.      What  can 
be  the  reason  of  it?     With  all   my  information,  all  my 
reasoning,  all  my  putting  of  two  and  two  together.  I  can- 
not  account    for  any  south-going  current  here-there 
ought  to  be  a  north-going  one.      If  the  current   runs 
south  here,  how  is  that  great  open  sea  we  steamed  north 
across    to    be    explained?    and    the    bay    we    ended    in 
farthest  north  ?     These  could   only  be   produced  b^^  the 
north-gomg  current   which    I    presupposed.       The  only 
thing  which  puts  me  out  a  bit  is  that  west-going  current 
which  we  had  against  us  during  our  whole  voyage  alone 
the  Siberian   coast.     We  are  never  going  to  be  carried 
away  south  by  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  and  then  west 
along   the    coast  of   Siberia,  and    then    north    by  Cape 
Chelyuskin,  the    very    way    we   came!     That   would    be 
rather  too  much  of  a  good  thing_to  say  nothing  of  its 
being  dead  against  every  calculation. 

"  Well,  who  cares?  Somewhere  we  must  go ;  we  can't 
stay  here  forever.  '  It  will  all  come  right  in  the  end/  as 
the  saying  goes ;  but  I  wish  we  could  get  on  a  little  faster 
wherever  we  are  going.      On  our  Greenland  expedition 


1 


292 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


too,  we  were  carried  south  to  begin  with,  and  that  ended 
well." 

"  Sundaj^  October  2 2d.  Henriksen  took  soundings 
this  morning,  and  found  70  fathoms  (129  m.)  of  water. 
'  If  we  are  drifting  at  all,'  said  he,  'it  is  to  the  east;  but 
there  seems  to  be  almost  no  movement.'  No  wind  to- 
day.    I  am  keeping  in  my  den. 

"  Monday,  October  23d.  Still  in  the  den.  To-day, 
5  fathoms  shallower  than  yesterday.  The  line  points 
southwest,  which  means  that  we  are  drifting  northeast- 
ward. Hansen  has  reckoned  out  the  observation  for  the 
19th,  and  finds  that  we  must  have  got  10  minutes 
farther  north,  and  must  be  in  78°  15'  N.  lat.  So  at  last, 
now  that  the  wind  has  gone  down,  the  north-going  cur- 
rent is  making  itself  felt.  Some  channels  have  opened 
near  us,  one  along  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  one  ahead, 
near  the  old  channel.  Only  slight  signs  of  pressure  in 
the  afternoon. 

"  Tuesday,  October  24th.  Between  4  and  5  a.m. 
there  was  strong  pressure,  and  the  Fram  was  lifted  up  a 
little.  It  looks  as  if  the  pressure  were  going  to  begin 
again ;  we  have  spring-tide  with  full  moon.  The  ice 
opened  so  much  this  morning  that  the  Fram  was  afloat 
in  her  cutting ;  later  on  it  closed  again,  and  about  1 1 
there  was  some  strong  pressure;  then  came  a  quiet  time; 
but  in  the  afternoon  the  pressure  began  once  more,  and 
was  violent  from  4  to  4.30.  The  Fram  Avas  shaken 
and  lifted  up;  didn't  mind  a  bit.     Peter  gave  it  as  his 


II 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


293 


opinion  that  the  pressure  was  coming  from  the  north- 
east, for  he  had  heard  the  noise  approaching  from  that 
direction.  Johansen  let  down  the  silk  net  for  me  about 
1 1  fathoms.  It  was  all  he  could  do  to  get  it  up  again 
in  time,  but  it  brought  up  a  good  catch.  Am  still  keep- 
ing in. 

"  Wednesday,  October  25th.  We  had  a  horrible  press- 
ure last  night.  I  awoke  and  felt  the  Fram  beina-  lifted 
shaken,  and  tossed  about,  and  heard  the  loud  crackincr  of 
the  ice  breaking  against  her  sides.  After  listenincj  for  a 
little  while  I  fell  asleep  again,  with  a  snug  feeling  that  it 
was  good  to  be  on  board  the  Fram;  it  wouid  be  con- 
foundedly uncomfortable  to  have  to  be  ready  to  turn  out 
every  time  there  was  a  little  pressure,  or  to  have  to  go 
off  with  our  bundles  on  our  backs  like  the  Tegethoff 
people. 

"  It  is  quickly  getting  darker.  The  sun  stands  lower 
and  lower  every  time  we  see  it ;  soon  it  will  disappear 
altogether,  if  it  has  not  done  so  already.  The  long,  dark 
winter  is  upon  us,  and  glad  shall  we  be  to  see  the 
spring;  but  nothing  matters  much  if  we  could  only  begin 
to  move  north.  There  is  now  southwesterly  wind,  and 
the  windmill,  which  has  been  ready  for  several  days,  has 
been  tried  at  last  and  works  splendidly.  We  have  beau- 
tiful electric  light  to-day,  though  the  wind  has  not  been 
especially  strong  (5-8  m.  per  second).  Electric  lamps 
are  a  grand  institution.  What  a  strong  influence  light 
has  on   one's  spirits!      There   was  a  noticeable  brio-ht- 


294 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


ening-up  at  the  dinner-table  to-day;  the  light  acted  on 
our  spirits  like  a  draught  of  good  wine.  And  how  fes- 
tive the  saloon  looks!  We  felt  it  quite  a  great  occasion 
— drank  Oscar  Dickson's  health,  and  voted  him  the  best 
of  good  fellows. 

"  Wonderful  moonshine  this  evening,  light  as  day ; 
and  along  with  it  aurora  borealis,  yellow  and  strange  in 
the  white  moonlight ;  a  large  ring  round  the  moon — all 
this  over  the  great  stretch  of  white,  shining  ice,  here  and 
there  in  our  neighborhood  piled  up  high  by  the  pressure. 
And  in  the  midst  of  this  silent  silvery  ice -world  the 
windmill  sweeps  round  its  dark  wings  against  the  deep- 
blue  sky  and  the  aurora.  A  strange  contrast:  civiliza- 
tion making  a  sudden  incursion  into  this  frozen  ghostly 
world. 

"  To  -  morrow  is  the  Fi'-anis  birthday.  How  many 
memories  it  recalls  of  the  launch-day  a  year  ago ! 

"Thursday,  October  26th.  54  fathoms  (90  m.)  of 
water  when  the  soundings  were  taken  this  morning. 
We  are  moving  quickly  north— due  north— says  Peter. 
It  does  look  as  if  things  were  going  better.  Great  cel- 
ebration of  the  day,  beginning  with  target -shooting. 
Then  we  had  a  splendid  dinner  of  four  courses,  which 
put  our  digestive  apparatus  to  a  severe  test.  The 
Fravis  health  was  drunk  amidst  great  and  stormy  ap- 
plause. The  proposer's  words  were  echoed  by  all  hearts 
when  he  said  that  she  was  such  an  excellent  ship  for 
our  purpose  that  we  could  not  imagine  a  better  (great 


Kit   '  )i, 


In 


\'' 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


295 


applause),  and  we  therefore  wished    her,  and   ourselves 
with    her,   long  life   (hear,    hear!).     After   supper    came 
strawberry  and  lemon  punch,  and  prizes  were  presented 
with  much  ceremony  and  a  good  deal  of  fun ;  all  being 
'taken   off'   in    turn    in  suitable    mottoes,  for  the  most 
part  composed  by  the  ship's  doctor.     There  was  a  prize 
for   each    man.     The   first   prize-taker  was  awarded  the 
wooden  cross  of   the  Order  of  the  Fram,  to   wear  sus- 
pended from  his   neck   by  a  ribbon  of  white  tape ;   the 
last  received  a  mirror,  in  which  to  see  his  fallen  sreat- 
ness.     Smoking  in  the  saloon  was  allowed  this  evening, 
so    now  pipes,  toddy,  and   an  animated   game   of  whist 
ended  a  bright  and  successful  holiday. 

"Sitting  here  now  alone,  my  thoughts  involuntarily 
turn  to  the  year  that  has  gone  since  we  stood  up  there 
on  the  platform,  and  she  threw  the  champagne  against 
the  bow,  saying:  ' Fram  is  your  name!'  and  the  strong, 
heavy  hull  began  to  glide  so  gently.  I  held  her  hand 
tight;  the  tears  came  into  eyes  and  throat,  and  one 
could  not  get  out  a  word.  The  sturdy  hull  dived  into 
the  glittering  water;  a  sunny  haze  lay  over  the  whole 
picture.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  moment  we  stood 
there  together,  looking  out  over. the  scene.  And  to  think 
of  all  that  has  happened  these  four  last  months !  Sepa- 
rated by  sea  and  land  and  ice;  coming  years,  too,  ly- 
ing between  us— it  is  all  just  the  continuation  of  what 
happened  that  day.  But  how  long  is  it  to  last.?  I 
have   such    difficulty    in   feeling  that   I    am   not  to  see 


I 


.  ,1- 


296 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\    m 


'  M 


home  again  soon.     When  I  begin  to  reflect,  I  know  that 
it  may  be  long,  but  I  will  not  believe  it. 

"  To-day,  moreover,  we  took  solemn  farewell  of  the 
sun.     Half  of  its  disk  showed  at  noon  for  the  last  time 
above  the  edge  of  the  ice  in  the  south,  a  flattened  body, 
with  a  dull   red  glow,  but  no  heat.     Now  we  are  en- 
tering the  night  of  winter.     What   is  it   brinoins   us? 
Where  shall  we   be  when    the   sun    returns.^     No    one 
can  tell.     To   console    us   for  the  loss  of   the   aun   we 
have   the   most   wonderful    moonlight;    the   moon   goes 
round   the  sky   night   and   day.      There    is,  strange   to 
say,  little  pressure  just  now;  only  an   occasional  slight 
squeeze.     But   the   ice  often  opens  considerably;    there 
are  large  pieces  of  water  in   several   directions;  to-day 
there  were  some  good-sized  ones  to  the  south. 

"Friday,   October  27th.     The  soundings  this   morn- 
ing  showed    52    fathoms  (95   m.)  of  water.     According 
to  observations  tal  en  yesterday  afternoon,  we  are  about 
3'  farther  nortl^   and  a  little  farther  west  than  on  the 
19th.     It  is  disgusting  the  way  we  are  muddling  about 
here.     W^e    must   have  got  into  a    hole  where    the    ice 
grinds  round  and  round,  and  can't  get  farther.     And  the 
time  is  passing   all  to   no   purpose;  and  goodness  only 
knows  how  long  this  sort  of  thing  may  go  on.     If  only  a 
good  south  wind  would  come  and  drive  us  north   out  of 
this  hobble  !     The  boys  h  .   -  taken  up  the  rudder  acrain 
to-day.     While  they  were  working  at  this  in   the  after- 
noon, it  suddenly  grew  as  bright  as  day.     A  strange  fire- 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


297 


ball  crossed  the  sky  in   the  west— giving  a  bluish-white 
hght,  they  said.    Johansen  ran  down  to  the  saloon  to  tell 
Hansen  and  me ;  he  said   they  could  still  see  the  bright 
trails  it  had  left  in  its  train.     When  we  got  on  deck  we 
saw  a  bent  bow  of  light  in    the  Triangle,  near  Deheb. 
The    meteor   had    disappeared    in  the    neighborhood  of 
Epsilon    Cygni   (constellation    Swan),  but    its   light   re- 
mained for  a  long  time  floating  in  the  air  like  glowing 
dust.     No  one  had  seen  the  actual  fire-ball,  as  they  had 
all  had  their  backs  turned  to  it,  and  they  could  not  say 
if   it    had    burst.     This    is   the    second  great  meteor  of 
exceptional    splendor   that  has  appeared  to  us  in  these 
regions.     The  ice   has  a  curious  inclination  to  slacken, 
without  pressure   having  occurred,   and  every  now  and 
then   we  find  the  ship  floating  in  open  water.     This  is 
the  case  to-day. 

"Saturday,  October  28th.  Nothing  of  any  impor- 
tance. Moonshine  night  and  day.  A  glow  in  the  south 
from  the  sun. 

"  Sunday,  October  29th.  Peter  shot  a  white  fox  this 
morning  close  in  to  the  ship.  For  some  time  lately  we 
have  been  seeing  fox-tracks  in  the  mornings,  and  one 
Sunday  Mogstad  saw  the  fox  itself.  It  has,  no  doubt, 
been  coming  regularly  to  feed  on  the  offal  of  the  bears. 
Shortly  after  the  first  one  was  shot  another  was  seen  ;  it 
came  and  smelt  its  dead  comrade,  but  soon  set  off  again 
and  disappeared.  It  is  remarkable  that  there  should  be 
so  many  foxes  on  this  drift-ice  so  far  from  land.     But, 


298 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


'    '     J 


1/ 


aV\ 


flM    '% 


after  all,  it  is  not  much  more  surprising  than  my  coming 
upon  fox-tracks  out  on  the  ice  between  Jan  Mayen  and 
Spitzbergen. 

"  Monday,  October  30th.  To-day  the  temperature  has 
gone  down  to  18°  below  zero  {  —  2f  C).  I  took  up  the 
dredge  I  had  put  out  yesterday.  It  brought  up  two 
pails  of  mud  from  the  bottom,  and  I  have  been  busy  all 
day  washing  this  out  in  the  saloon  in  a  large  bath,  to  c^et 
the  many  animals  contained  in  it.  They  were  chiefly 
starfish,  waving  starfish,  medusae  {Astrophytou\  sea-slugs, 
coral  insects  {Alcyoiiaria).  worms,  sponges,  shell-fish,  and 
crustaceans ;  and  were,  of  course,  all  carefully  preserved 
in  spirits. 

"Tuesday,  October  31st.  Forty-nine  fathoms  (90  m.) 
of  water  to-day,  and  the  current  driving  us  hard  to  the 
southwest.  We  have  good  wind  for  the  mill  now,  and 
the  electric  lamps  burn  all  day.  The  arc  lamp  under  the 
skylight  makes  us  quite  forget  the  want  of  sun.  Oh! 
light  is  a  glorious  thing,  and  life  is  fair  in  spite  of  all 
privations !  This  is  Sverdrup's  birthday,  and  we  had 
revolver  practice  in  the  morning.  Of  course  a  map-- 
nificent  dinner  of  five  courses  — chicken  soup,  boiled 
mackerel,  reindeer  ribs  with  baked  cauliflower  and  po- 
tatoes, macaroni  pudding,  and  stewed  pears  with  milk 
— Ringnes  ale  to  wash  it  down. 

"  Thursday,  November  2d.  The  temperature  keeps 
at  about  22°  below  zero  (  —  30"  C.)  now;  but  it  does  not 
feel  very  cold,  the  air  is  so  still.     We  can  see  the  aurora 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


299 


borealis  in  the  daytime  too.      I  saw  a  very  remarkable 
display  of   it   about    3   this   afternoon.     On    the   south- 
western horizon  lay  the  glow  of  the  sun ;  in  front  of  it 
light  clouds  were  swept  together— like  a  cloud  of  dust 
rising    above    a    distant    troop    of   riders.      Then    dark 
streamers   of   gauze   seemed   to   stretch   from   the  dust- 
cloud  up  over  the  sky,  as  if  it  came  from  the   sun,  or 
perhaps  rather  as  if  the  sun  were  sucking  it  in  to  itself 
from  the  whole  sky.     It  was  only  in  the  southwest  that 
these  streamers  were  dark;    a  little   higher  up,  farther 
from  the   sun -glow,  they  gre\v    .vnite  and  shining,  like 
fine,  glistening   silver   gauze.      They   spread    over    the 
vault  of  heaven   above  us,  and  right  away  towards  the 
north.     They  certainly   resembled   aurora   borealis;  but 
perhaps  they  might  be  only  light  vapors  hovering  high 
up  in  the  sky  and  catchin-  the  sunlight?     I  stood  long 
looking  at  them.     They  were  singularly  still,  but  they 
were  northern   lights,  changing  gradually   in   the  south- 
west  into  dark  cloud-streamers,  and  ending  in  the  dust- 
cloud  over  the  sun.     Hansen  saw  them  too,  later,  when 
it  was  dark.     There  was  no  doubt  of  their  nature.     His 
impression  was  that  the  aurort  borealis  spread  from  the 
sun  over  the  whole  vault  of  heaven  like  the  stripes  on 
the  inner  skin  of  an  orano-e. 

"Sunday,  November  5th.  A  great  race  on  the  ice 
was  advertised  for  to-day.  The  course  was  measured, 
marked  off,  and  decorated  with  flags.  The  cook  had 
prepared    the    prizes  —  cakes,    numbered,   ai,c:    properly 


X 


I  '! 


'■'1 
'i6 


300 


FARTHEST  NO  NTH 


'i 


m.  i 

A'  x 


graduated  in  size.  The  expectation  was  great;  but  it 
turned  out  that,  from  excessive  training  during  the  few 
last  days,  the  whole  crew  were  so  stiff  in  the  legs  that 
they  were  not  able  to  move.  We  got  our  prizes  all  the 
same.  One  man  was  blindfolded,  and  he  decided  who 
was  to  have  each  cake  as  it  was  pointed  at.  This  just 
arrangement  met  with  general  approbation,  and  we  all 
thought  it  a  pleasanter  way  of  getting  the  prizes  than 
running  half  a  mile  for  them. 

"  So   ii    is  Sunday  once   more.     How  the  days  drag 
past !     I  work,  read,  think,  and  dream ;  strum  a  little  on 
the  organ  ;  go  for  a  walk  on  the  ice  in  the  dark.     Low 
on  the  horizon  in  the  southwest  there  is  the  flush  of  the 
sun — a  dark  fierce  red,  as  if  of  blood  aglow  with  all  life's 
smouldering  longings— low  and  far-off,  like  the  dream- 
land of  youth.     Higher  in  the  sky  it  melts  into  orange, 
and  that  into  green  and  pale  blue;  and  then  comes  deep 
blue,  star-sown,  and  then  infinite  space,  where  no  dawn 
will  ever  break.     In   the   north  are  quivering  arches  of 
faint  aurora,  trembling  now  like  awakening  longings,  but 
presently,  as  if  at  the  touch  of  a  magic  wand,  to  storm 
as  streams  of  light  through  the  dark  blue  of  heaven — 
never  at  peace,  restless  as  the  very  soul  of  man.     I  can 
sit  and  gaze  and  gaze,  my  eyes  entranced  by  tl'  ■  dream- 
glow  yonder  in  the  west,  where   the   moon's   thin,  pale, 
silver  sickle  is   dipping  its  point  into  the   blood;    and 
my  soul   is   borne   beyond  the  glow,  to   the   sun,  so  far 
off  now — and  to   the  home-coming!     Our  task  accom- 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


301 


pHshed,  we  are  making  our  way  up  the  fjord  as  fast  as 
sail  and  steam  can  carry  us.  On  botii  sides  of  us  the 
homeland  lies  smiling  in  the  sun;  and  then  .  .  .  the 
sufferings  of  a  thousand  days  and  hours  melt  into  a 
moment's  inexpressible  joy.  Ugh!  that  was  a  bitter 
gust— I  jump  up  and  walk  on.  What  am  I  dreaming 
about!  so  far  yet  from  the  goal— hundreds  and  hundreds 
of  miles  between  us,  ice  and  land  and  ice  again.  And 
we  are  drifting  round  and  round  in  a  ring,  bewildered, 
attaining  nothing,  only  waiting,  always  waiting,  for 
what } 

"  •  I  dreamt  I  lay  on  a  grassy  bank, 
And  the  sun  slione  warm  and  clear; 
I  wakened  on  a  desert  isle, 
And  the  sky  was  black  and  drear.' 

"One  more  look  at  the  star  of  home,  the  one  that 
stood  that  evening  over  Cape  Chelyuskin,  and  I  creep 
on  board,  where  the  windmill  is  turning  in  the  cold 
wind,  and  the  electric  light  is  streaming  out  from  the 
skylight  upon  the  icy  desolation  of  the  Arctic  night. 

"  Wednesday,  November  8th.  The  storm  (which  we 
had  had  the  two  previous  days)  is  quite  gone  down; 
not  even  enough  breeze  for  the  mill.  We  tried  letting 
the  dogs  sleep  on  the  ice  last  night,  instead  of  bringing 
them  on  board  in  the  evening,  as  we  have  been  doing 
lately.  The  result  was  that  another  dog  was  torn  to 
pieces  during  the  night.  It  was  '  Ulabrand,'  the  old 
brown,  toothless  fellow,  that  went  this  time.  '  Job '  and 
'  Moses '   had   gone   the    same   way  before.      Yesterday 


302 


FARTHEST  NOR'IH 


11-'   ' 


evening's  observations  jilace  us  in  77"  43'  north  latitude 
and  138'  S'  east  longitude.     This  is  farther  south  than  we 
have  been  yet.     No  help  for  it ;  but  it  is  a  sorry  state  of 
matters;  and  that  we  are  farther  c.-.^t  tlian  ever  before  is 
only  a  poor  consolation.     It  is  new  moon  again,  and  we 
may  therefore  expect  pressure;  the  ice  is,  in  fact,  r.j ready 
moving;  it  began  to  split  on  Saturday,  and  has  broken 
up  more  each  day.     The  channels  have  been  of  a  good 
size,  and  the   movement  becomes  more  and   more  per- 
ceptible.    Yesterday  there  was  slight  pressure,  and  we 
noticed  it  again  this  morning  about  5  o'clock.     To-day 
the    ice    by   the   ship    has    opened,  and  we    are    almost 
afloat. 

"  Here   I  sit  in  the  still  winter  night  on  the  drifting 
ice-floe,  and  see  only  stars  above  me.     Far  off  I  see  the 
threads  of  life  twisting  themselves  into  the  intricate  web 
which  stretches  unbroken  from  life's  sweet  mornino-  dawn 
to  the  eternal  death-stillness  of  the  ice.    Thought  follows 
thought  — you  pick   the  whole   to  pieces,  and   it  seems 
so   small  —  but    high    above   all    towers    one    form. 
Why  did  yoti  take  this  voyage'?  .  .  .  Could   I  do  other- 
wise?    Can    the    river    arrest    its    course    and    run    up 
hill?     My    plan    has    come    to    nothing.      Tliat    palace 
of  theory  which   I  reared,  in   pride  and   self-confidence, 
high  above  all  silly  objections  has  fallen  like  a  house  of 
cards  at  the  first  breath  of  wind.     Build  up  the  most  in- 
genious theories  and  you  may  be  sure  of  one  thing— that 
fact  will  defy  them  all.     \\\is  I  so  very  sure  ?     Yes,  at 


I 


•4 


h 


THE   WINTRR  NIGHT 


303 


times;  but  that  was  self-deception,  intoxication,  A  se- 
cret doubt  lurked  behind  all  the  reasoning.  It  seemed 
as  though  the  longer  I  defended  my  theory,  the  nearer  I 
came  to  doubting  it.  But  no,  there  is  no  getting  over 
the  evidence  of  that  Siberian  drift-wood. 

"  But  if,  after  all,  we  are  on  the  wrong  track,  what 
then.'*  Only  disappointed  human  hopes,  nothing  more. 
And  even  if  we  perish,  what  will  it  matter  in  the  endless 
cycles  of  eternity  t 

"  Thursday,  November  9th,  I  took  temperatures  and 
sea- water  samples  to-day  every  10  yards  from  the  surface 
to  the  bottom,  The  depth  was  gi  fathoms.  An  extraor- 
dinarily even  temperature  of  30°  Fahr.  (-1.5  C.)  through 
all  the  layers.  I  have  noticed  the  same  thing  before  as 
far  south  as  this.  So  it  is  only  polar  water  here }  There 
is  not  much  pressure ;  an  inclination  to  it  this  morning, 
and  a  little  at  8  o'clock  this  evening ;  also  a  few  squeezes 
later,  when  we  were  playing  cards. 

"  x'riday,  November  loth.  This  morning  made  de- 
spairing examinations  of  yesterday's  water  samples  with 
Thornoe's  electric  apparatus.  There  must  be  absolute 
stillness  on  board  when  this  is  going  on.  The  1  len  are 
all  terrified,  slip  about  on  tiptoe,  and  talk  in  the  lowest 
possible  whispers.  But  presently  one  begins  to  hammer 
at  something  on  dec  k,  and  another  to  file  in  the  engine- 
room,  when  the  chief's  commanding  voice  is  at  once 
heard  ordering  silence.  These  examinations  are  made 
by    means   of  a  telephone,  through   which   a  very  faint 


i 


:!  'i 


'% 


304 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


l"f 


!i  ■;! 


noise  is  heard,  which  dies  slowly  away ;  the  moment  at 
which  it  stops  must  be  exactly  ascertained. 

"  I  find  remarkably  little  salt  all  the  way  to  the  bottom 
in  the  water  here;  it  must  be  mixed  with  fresh  water 
from  the  Siberian  river. 

"  There  was  some  pressure  this  morning,  going  on  till 
nearly  noon,  and  we  heard  the  noise  of  it  in  several  direc- 
tions. In  the  afternoon  the  ice  was  quite  slack,  with  a 
large  opening  alongside  the  port  side  of  the  ship.  At 
half -past  seven  pretty  strong  pressure  began,  the  ice 
crashing  and  grinding  along  the  ship's  side.  About 
midnight  the  roar  of  packing  was  heard  to  the  south. 

"Saturday,  November  nth.  There  has  been  some 
pressure  in  the  course  of  the  day.  The  newly  formed  ice 
is  about  15  inches  thick.  It  is  hard  on  the  top,  but  looser 
and  porous  below.  This  particular  piece  of  ice  began 
to  form  upon  a  large  opening  in  the  night  between  the 
27th  and  28th  October,  so  it  has  frozen  15  inches  in  15 
days.  I  observed  that  it  froze  3  inches  the  first  night, 
and  5  inches  altogether  during  the  three  first  nights;  so 
that  it  has  taken  12  days  to  the  last  10  inches." 

Even  this  small  observation  serves  to  show  that  the 
formation  of  ice  goes  on  most  easily  where  the  crust  is 
thin,  becoming  more  and  more  difiicult  as  the  thickness 
increases,  until  at  a  certain  thickness,  as  we  observed 
later,  it  stops  altogether.  "  It  is  curious  that  the  pressure 
has  gone  on  almost  all  day — no  slackening  such  as  we 
have  usually  observed." 


lit/ 


;v     ,, . 


if 


If 


.,/ 


i 


i 


t/ 


%    V 


U' 


!*' 


304 


FARTHEST  AOAj,. 


M  'i 


noise  is  heard,  which  dies  slowly  away;  the  moment  at 
which  it  stops  mu.>t  be  exactly  ascertained. 

"  I  find  remarkably  little  salt  all  tlie  w.iv  to  the  hot  mm 
in  the   water  here;  it  mast   be   mixed   wiili   ■. 
from  the  Sibei-ian  ri\-er. 

There  was  some  pressure  this  morniivj;,  i;(h"(  '? 

nearly  noon,  and  we  heard  the  iioise  of  it  in  s. 
t'^^'"^       ''^  ''^"    ■ft'T'^-^n  the  in,;   u-as  quite  siaci.,  with   a 


arsit 


y^    ''i' 


■"..n-r,ide   the  port  side  of  the  ship.      .\t 
'"''■    '>''<■!''  ''ig  pressure    began,  tht 


lialf  -  jjn   ■ 

crashing    anc;    grinding    .(jong    the    sidp's    >ide.     Abintt 

midnight  tlu>  roar  of  jjacking  was  heaid  to  the  south. 

"Saturday,  November    ijtli.     There  has    been   some 
pressure-  i:  ourse  of  the  day.     The  newly  formed  ice 

is  about  \$  mchr>  thick.      It  is  hard  ,,n  t!--.'  tor),  l,.,.  ;,H,ve- 
and   p>or<nis    bciow.      This    part)< 
to  toi'm  upon  a  large  openi;; 
27th  aiid  :!8th  Oct*.  .   :..,,■; 
days.      I  ohser\-ed   that  it  f'-M/c    ■.    ■  ,,■ 


an,' 


M     i  1  i ; 


>v  tna*    : 
'  .^i  is 


1        ■       '^    -mah'  ob.-er\-aiion  her\ 

'      ' ,         ')n  most  easii 

•  iiwjg  iuorc  and  )iiore  difficuii,  ,,^  tiie  thickness 

mcreas'.  ,t  a  ccr!ain    thic'kiii  -i)served 

later,  it  stops  altogether.     "  h  ■  hat  the  pre,>*sure 

gone  on  aim     ■  ,'.'•.■■, 

have  usuailv  observed.'' 


c 


re 


B 


^ 


O 
o 


|i 


t  i 


a 


c 

V, 

a 
(5 


13 


y- 


■Ma 


Hi 


i%  I 


i  ( y  f 


h 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


305 


"Sunday,  November  19th.  Our  life  has  gone  on  its 
usual  monotonous  routine  since  the  nth.  The  wind 
has  been  steadily  from  the  south  all  week,  but  to-day 
there  is  a  little  from  N.N.W.  We  have  had  pressure 
several  times,  and  have  heard  sounds  of  it  in  the  south- 
east. Except  for  this,  the  ice  has  been  unusually  quiet, 
and  it  is  closed  in  tightly  round  the  ship.  Since  the 
last  strong  pressure  we  have  probably  10  to  20  feet  of 
ice  packed  in  below  us.*  Hansen  to-day  worked  out 
an  observation  taken  the  day  before  yesterday,  and  sur- 
prised us  with  the  welcome  intelligence  that  we  have 
travelled  44'  north  and  a  little  east  since  the  8th.  We 
are  now  in  78'  27'  north  latitude,  139°  23'  east  longitude. 
This  is  farther  east  than  we  have  been  yet.  For  any 
sake,  let  us  only  keep  on  as  we  are  going ! 

"  The  Fram  is  a  warm,  cozy  abode.  Whether  the 
thermometer  stands  at  22°  above  zero  or  at  22°  below 
it  we  have  no  fire  in  the  stove.  The  ventilation  is  ex- 
cellent, especially  since  we  rigged  up  the  air  sail,  which 
sends  a  whole  winter's  cold  in  through  the  ventilator;  yet 
in  spite  of  this  we  sit  here  warm  and  comfortable,  with 
only  a  lamp  burning.  I  am  thinking  of  having  the 
stove  removed  altogether;  it  is  only  in  the  way.  At  least, 
as  far  as  our  protection  from  the  winter  cold  is  concern- 
ed, my  calculations  have  turned  out  well.  Neither  do 
we  suffer  much  from  damp.     It  does  collect  and  drop 

'  On  a  later  occasion  they  bored  down  30  feet  without  reaching  the 
lower  surface  of  the  ice. 


306 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


,C. 


■i^'i 


1^  .^ 


!     I 


{ 


% 


Mi 


i  ' 

! 


m 


i  I 


a  little  from  the  roof  in  one  or  two  places,  especially 
astern  in  the  four-man  cabins,  but  nothing  in  comparison 
with  what  is  common  in  other  ships;  and  if  we  lighted 
the  stove  it  would  disappear  altogether.  When  I  have 
burned  a  lamp  for  quite  a  short  time  in  my  cabin  every 
trace  of  damp  is  gone.*  These  are  extraordinary  fellows 
for  standing  the  cold.  With  the  thermometer  at  22°  be- 
low zero  Bentzen  goes  up  in  his  shirt  and  trousers  to 
read  the  thermometer  on  deck. 

"  Monday,  November  27th.  The  prevailing  wind  has 
been  southerly,  with  sometimes  a  little  east.  The  tem- 
perature still  keeps  between  13°  and  22°  below  zero;  in 
the  hold  it  has  fallen  to  1 2°." 

It  has  several  times  struck  me  that  the  streamers 
of  the  aurora  borealis  followed  in  the  direction  of  the 
wind,  from  the  wind's  eye  on  the  horizon.  On  Thurs- 
day morning,  when  we  had  very  slight  northeasterly 
wind,  I  even  ventured  to  prophesy,  from  the  direction  of 
the  streamers,  that  it  would  go  round  to  the  southeast, 
which  it  accordingly  did.  On  the  whole  there  has  been 
much  less  of  the  aurora  borealis  lately  than  at  the  be- 
ginning of  our  drift.  Still,  though  it  may  have  been 
faint,  there  has  been  a  little  every  day.  To  night  it  is 
very  strong  again.     These  last  days  the  moon  has  some- 


■    I 


*  When  we  had  fire  in  the  stoves  later,  especially  during  the  follow- 
ing winter,  tiere  was  not  a  sign  of  damp  anywhere — neither  in  Faloon 
nor  smn'  cabins.  It  was,  if  anything,  rather  too  dry,  for  the  panels  of 
the  walls  and  n    .t  dried  and  shrank  considerably. 


'I  ,    k 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


307 


times  had   rings  round   it,  with   mock -moons  and  axes, 
accompanied  by  rather  strange  phenomena.     Whun  the 
moon  stands  so  low  that  the  ring  touches  the  horizon, 
a  bright  field  of  light  is  formed  where  the  horizon  cuts 
the  ring.       Similar  expanses  of   'ight   are   also  formed 
where  the  perpendicular  axis  from  the  moon  intersects  the 
horizon.     F"aint  rainbows  are  often  to  be  seen   in  these 
shining  light-fields ;  yellow  was  generally  the   strongest 
!:int  nearest  the  horizon,  passing  over  into  red,  and  then 
into  blue.     Similar  colors  could  also  be  distinguished  in 
the  mock-moons.     Sometimes  there  are  two  laro-e  rinf^s 
the  one  outside  the  other,  and  then  there  may  be  four 
mock-moons.     I  have  also  seen  part  of  a  new  rin<r  above 
the  usual  one,  meeting  it  at  a  ta..^^ent  directly  above  the 
moon.     As  is  well  known,  these  various  ring  formations 
round  the  sun,  as  well  as  round  the  moon,  are  produced 
by  the  refraction  of  rays  of  light  by  minute  ice  crystals 
floatino;  in  the  air. 

"  We  looked  for  pressure  with  full  moon  and  sprincr. 
tide  on  23d  of  November;  but  then,  and  for  several  days 
afterwards,  the  ice  was  quite  quiet.  Or.  the  afternoon  of 
Saturday,  the  25th,  however,  its  distant  roar  was  heard 
from  the  south,  and  we  have  heard  it  from  the  same 
direction  every  day  since.  This  morning  it  was  very 
loud,  and  came  gradually  nearer.  At  9  o'clock  it  was 
quite  close  to  us,  and  this  evening  we  hear  it  near  us 
again.  It  seems,  howe<'ci  p^,  if  we  had  now  got  ou<:  of 
the    groove    to  which   the    pressure  principally  confines 


i  ^1 


3o8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


'^t 


'  1 


fJi' 


itself.  We  were  regularly  in  it  before.  The  ice  round 
us  is  perfectly  quiet.  The  probability  is  that  the  last 
severe  pressure  packed  it  very  tight  about  us,  and  that 
the  cold  since  has  frozen  it  into  such  a  thick,  strong 
mass  that  it  offers  great  resistance,  while  the  weaker  ice 
in  other  places  yields  to  the  pressure.  The  depth  of 
the  sea  is  increasing  steadily,  and  we  are  drifting  north. 
This  evening  Hansen  has  worked  out  the  observations 
of  the  day  before  yesterday,  and  finds  that  we  are  in 
79"  11'  north  latitude.  That  is  good,  and  the  way  we 
ought  to  get  on.  It  is  tb.e  most  nortinirn  point  we  have 
reached  yet,  and  to-day  we  are  in  all  likelihood  still  far- 
tlier  north.  We  have  mad-o  good  way  these  last  days, 
and  the  increasing  depth  secnis  to  incMr:ate  a  happy- 
change  in  the  direction  of  our  drift.  Have  we,  perhaps, 
really  found  the  right  road  at  last }  We  are  drifting 
about  5'  a  day.  The  most  satisfactory  thing  is  that 
there  has  not  been  much  wind  lately,  especially  not  the 
last  two  days ;  yesterday  it  was  only  i  metre  per  second ; 
to-day  is  perfectly  still,  and  yet  the  depth  has  increased 
21  fathoms  (40  m.)  in  these  two  days.  It  seems  as  if 
there  were  a  northerly  current,  after  all.  No  doubt  many 
disappointments  await  us  yet;  but  why  not  rejoice  while 
fortune  smiles  1 

"  Tuesday,  November  28th.  The  disappointment  lost 
no  time  in  comintj.  There  had  been  a  mistake  either 
in  the  observation  or  in  Hansen's  calculations.  An  alti- 
tude of  Jupiter  taken  yesterday  evening  shows  us  to  be  in 


m 


V   \       '      L 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


309 


^6°  36'  north  latitude.     The  soundings  to-day  showed  74 
fathoms  (142  m.)  of  water,  or  about  the  same  as  yester- 
day, and  thesounding-Hne  indicated  a  southwesterly  drift. 
However  anxious  one  is  'o  take  things  philosojahicallv, 
one  can't  help  feeling  a  little  depressed.     I   try  to  find 
solace  in  a  book;    absorb  myself  in  the  learning  of  the 
Indians— their  happy  faith  in  transcendental  powers,  in 
the  supernatural  faculties  of  the  soul,  and  in  a  future  life. 
Oh,  if  one  could  only  get   hold  of  a  little  supernatural 
power  now,  and  oblige  the  winds  always  to  blow  from  the 
south ! 

"  I  went  on  deck  this  evening  in  rather  a  gloomy  frame 
of  mind,  but  was  nailed  to  the  spot  the  moment  I  got 
outside.  There  is  the  supernatural  for  you — the  northern 
lights  flashing  in  matchless  power  and  beauty  over  the  sky 
in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow!  Seldom  or  never  have 
I  seen  the  colors  so  brilliant.  The  prevailing  one  at  first 
was  yellow,  but  that  gradually  flickered  over  into  green, 
and  then  a  sparkling  ruby-red  began  to  show  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  ra3-s  on  the  under  side  of  the  arch,  soon 
spreading  over  the  whole  arch.  And  now  from  the  far- 
away western  horizon  a  fiery  serpent  writhed  itself  up 
over  the  sky,  shining  brighter  and  brighter  as  it  came. 
It  split  into  three,  all  brilliantly  glittering.  Then  the 
colors  changed.  The  serpent  to  the  south  turned  almost 
ruby -red,  with  spots  of  yellow;  the  one  in  the  middle, 
yellow;  and  the  one  to  the  north,  greenish  white.  Sheaves 
of  rays    swept   along    the   side  of   the   serpents,  driven 


1 


\  1 


Ml 


It  y 

\  i 


M  (. 


m 


310 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


through  the  ether-like  waves  before  a  storm-wind.     They 
sway    backward    and    forward,  now   strong,   now   fainter 
again.     The   serpents    reached   and   passed    the    zenith. 
Though  I  \Aas  thinly  dressed  and  shivering  with  cold,  I 
could  not  tear  myself   away  till  the  spectacle  was  over, 
and  only  a  faintly  glowing  fiery  serpent  near  the  western 
horizon  showed  where  it  had  begun.     When   I  came  on 
deck  later  the  masses  of  light  had  passed  northward  and 
spread  themselves  in  incomplete  arches  over  the  northern 
sky.     If  one  wants  to  read  mystic  meanings  into  the  phe- 
nomena of  nature,  nere,  surely,  is  the  opportunity. 

"  The  obse  vation  this  afternoon  showed  us  to  be  in 
78°  38'  42"  nor.^h  latitude.  This  is  anything  but  rapid 
progress.  , 

"Wednesday,  November  29th.  Another  dog  has 
been  bitten  to  death  to-day—'  Fox,'  a  handsome,  power- 
ful animal.  He  was  found  lying  dead  and  stiff  on  the  ice 
at  our  stern  this  evening  when  they  went  to  brincr  the 
dogs  in,  'Suggen'  performing  her  usual  duty  of  watchino- 
the  body.  They  are  wretches,  these  dogs.  But  now  I 
have  given  orders  that  some  one  must  always  watch  them 
when  they  are  out  on  the  ice. 

"  Thursday,  November  30th.  The  lead  showed  a 
depth  of  exactly  83  fathoms  (170  m.)  to-day,  and  it  seemed 
by  the  line  as  if  we  were  drifting  northwest.  W'e  are 
almost  certainly  farther  north  now;  hopes  are  risino- 
and  life  is  looking  brighter  again.  My  spirits  are  like 
a  pendulum,  if  one  could  imagine  such   an  instrument 


4lJ 


1 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


311 


giving  all  sorts  of  irregular  swings   backward  and  for- 
ward.     It   is   no  good   trying   to  take  the    thing  philo- 
sophically;    I   cannot   deny  that    the   question  whether 
we  are  to  return  successful  or  unsuccessful  affects  me 
very  deeply.     It  is  quite  easy  to  convince   myself  with 
the    most    incontrovertible    reasoning    that   what    really 
matters    is    to    carry    through    the    expedition,    whether 
successfully  or  not,  and  get  safe  home  again.     I  could 
not  but  undertake  it ;  for  my  plan  w\as  one  that   I  felt 
must  succeed,  and  therefore   it  was   my  duty  to  try  it. 
Well,  if  it  does  not  succeed,  is  that  my  affair  ?     I  have 
done  my  duty,  done  all   that  could    be    done,  and  can 
return  home  with  an  easy  conscience  to  the  quiet  hap- 
piness I  have  left  behind.     What  can  it  matter  whether 
chance,  or  whatever  name  you  like   to  give  it,  does  or 
does  not  allow  the  plan  to  succeed  and  make  our  names 
immortal }     The  worth  of  the  plan  is  the  same  whether 
chance  smiles  or   frowns   upon  it.     And  as  to    immor- 
tality, happiness   is  all  we  want,  and  that  is  not  to  be 
had  here. 

"  I  can  say  all  this  to  myself  a  thousand  times ;  I  can 
bring  myself  to  believe  honestly  that  it  is  all  a  matter 
of  indifference  to  me ;  but  none  the  less  my  spirits 
change  like  the  clouds  of  heaven  according  as  the  wind 
blows  from  this  direction  or  from  that,  or  the  sound- 
ings show  the  depth  to  be  increasing  or  not,  or  the 
observations  indicate  a  northerly  or  southerly  drift. 
When    I    think    of    the    many    that    trust    us,    think    of 


li? 


312 


FA  A 1  Hi: ST  NOR  TH 


-M         '   : 


mk  \'4  ■  , 


Norway,  think  of  all  the  friends  that 


gave  us  their  tinn 


their  faith,  and  their  money,  the  wish  comes  that  they 
may  not  be  disappointed,  and  I  grow  sombre  when  our 
IM-ogress  is  not  what  we  expected  it  would  be.  And 
she  that  gave  most— does  she  deserve  that  her  sacrifice 
should  have  been  made  in  vain?  Ah,  yes,  we  must  and 
will  succeed  ! 

"  Sunday,  December  3d.  Sunday  again,  with  its  feel- 
ing  of  peace,  and  its  permission  to  indulge  in  the  nar- 
cotic of  haj^py  day-dreams,  and  let  the  hours  go  idly  by 
without  any  prickings  of  conscience. 

"To-day  the  bottom  was  not  reached  with  over  133 
fathoms  (250  m.)  of  line.  There  was  a  northeasterly  drift. 
Yesterday's  observation  showed  us  to  be  in  ']'^'  44'  north 
latitude,  that  is  5'  farther  north  than  on  Tuesday.  It  is 
horribly  slow;  but  it  is  forward,  and  forward  we  must 
go  ;  there  can  be  no  question  of  that. 

"  Tuesday,  December  5th.     This   is   the  coldest  day 
we  have  had  yet,  with  the  thermometer  31"  below  zero 
(-35-7"  C.)  and  a  biting  wind  from  the  E.S.K.     Obser- 
vation   in    the   afternoon   shows    78^  50    north    latitude; 
that  is  6'  farther  north   than  on  Saturday,  or  2    per  day.' 
In    the  afternoon    we    had    magnificent    aurora   borealis 
—glittering  arches    across    the    whole   vault   of   the   sky 
from   the  east   towards  west;   but   when    I  was  on  deck 
thii  evening  the  sky  was  overcast:   only  one  star  shone 
through  the  cloudy  veil  — the  home  star.      How  I  love 
It !      It  is   the  first  thing  my  eye  seeks,  and  it  is  always 


ill' 


2HE   WINTER  NIGHT 


313 


there,  shining  on  our  path.     I  feel  as  if  no  ill  could  be- 
fall  us  as  long  as  I  see  it  there. 

"  Wednesday,  December  6th.  This  afternoon  the  ice 
cracked  abaft  the  starboard  quarter;  this  evening  I  see 
that  the  crack  has  opened.  We  may  expect  pressure 
now,  as  it  is  new  moon  either  to-day  or  to-morrow." 

"Thursday,  December  7th.  The  ice  pressed  at  the 
stern  at  5  o'clock  tiiis  morning  for  about  an  hour.  I 
lay  in  my  berth  and  listened  to  it  creaking  and  grind- 
ing and  roaring.  There  was  slight  pressure  again  in 
the  afternoon;  nothing  to  speak  of.  No  slackening  in 
the  forenoon. 

"Friday,   December  8th.      Pressure    from    seven    till 
eight  this  morning.      As   I  was  sitting  drawing  in   the 
afternoon  I  was  startled  by  a  sudden  report  or  cra.h.      It 
seemed  to  be  straight  overhead,  as  if  great  masses  of  ice 
had  fallen  from   the   rigging  on   to  the  deck  above  my 
cabin.     Ever)-  one  starts  up  and  throws  on  some  extra 
garmont;    those  that  are  taking  an  afternoon  nap  jump 
out  of  their  berths  right  into  the  middle  of  the  saloon, 
calling    out    to    know    what    has    happened.      Pettersen 
rushes  up  the  companion-ladder  in  such  wild  haste  that 
he  bursts  open    the  door  in  the  face  of  the  mate,  who  is 
standing  in   the  passage  holding   back  '  Kvik,'  who  has 
also   started   in   fright  from   the  bed   in   the  chart -room, 
where  she   is  expecting  her  confinement.     On  deck   we 
could  discover  nothing,  except  that  the   ice  was  in   mo- 
tion, and   seemed    to   be   sinking  slowly  away  from   the 


\ 


# 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


IAS    IIIIIIO 


Li 


1.8 


U    ill.6 


nl I l-:_ 

niuBugiapiiiC 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  372-4503 


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FARTHEST  NORTH 


ship.  Great  piles  had  been  packed  up  under  the  stern 
this  morning  and  yesterday.  The  explosion  was  proba- 
bly  caused  by  a  violent  pressure  suddenly  loosening  all 
the  ice  along  the  ship's  side,  the  ship  at  the  same  time 
taking  a  strong  list  to  port.  There  was  no  cracking  of 
wood  to  be  heard,  so  that,  whatever  it  was,  the  Fram 
cannot  have  been  injured.  But  it  was  cold,  and  we  crept 
down  again. 

"As    we    were    sitting    at    supper   about    6    o'clock, 
pressure  suddenly  began.     The  ice  creaked  and  roared 
so  along  the  ship's  sides  close  by  us   that  it  was  not 
possible    to    carry  on    any  connected  conversation,    we 
had  to  scream,  and  all  agreed  with  Nordahl  when  he  re- 
marked that  it  would  be  much  pleasanter  if  the  pressure 
would  confine  its  operations  to  the  bow  instead  of  coming 
bothering  us  here  aft.    Amidst  the  noise  we  caught  every 
now  and  again  from  the  organ  a  note  or  two  of  Kjerulf's 
melody—'  I  could  not  sleep  for  the  nightingale's  voice.' 
The  hurly-burly  outside  lasted  for  about  twenty  minutes, 
and  then  all  was  still. 

"Later  in  the  evening  Hansen  came  down  to  give 
notice  of  what  really  was  a  remarkable  appeal  ance  of 
aurora  borealis.  The  deck  was  brightly  illuminated  by 
it,  and  reflections  of  its  light  played  all  over  the  ice.  The 
whole  sky  was  ablaze  with  it,  but  it  was  brightest  in  the 
south ;  high  up  in  that  direction  glowed  waving  masses 
of  fire.  Later  still  Hansen  came  again  to  say  that  now 
It  was  quite  extraordinary.      No  words  can   depict  the 


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THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


315 


glory  that  met  our  eyes.      The  glowing  fire-masses  had 
divided  into  glistening,  many-colored  bands,  which  were 
writhing  and  twisting  across  the  sky  both  in  the  south 
and    north.      The   rays    sparkled  with   the  purest,  most 
crystalline   rainbow  colors,  chiefly  violet-red  or  carmine 
and  the  clearest  green.     Most  frequently  the  rays  of  the 
arch  were  red  at  the  ends,  and  changed  higher  up  into 
sparkling  green,  which  quite  at  the  top  turned  darker  and 
went  over  into  blue  or  violet  before  disappearing  in  the 
blue  of  the  sky ;    or  the  rays  in  one  and  the  same  arch 
might  change  from  clear  red  to  clear  green,  coming  and 
going  as  if  driven  by  a  storm.     It  was  an  endless  phan- 
tasmagoria of  sparkling  color,  surpassing  anything  that 
one  can  dream.      Sometimes  tho  spectacle  reached  such 
a  climax  that  one's  breath  was  taken  away ;  one  felt  that 
now  something  extraordinary  must  happen — at  the  very 
least  the  sky  mi^st  fall.     But  as  one  stands  in  breathless 
expectation,  down  the  whole  thing  trips,  as  if  in  a  few 
quick,  light  scale-runs,  into  bare  nothingness.     There  is 
something   most   undramatic  about  such  a  denonemeui, 
but  it  is  all  done  with  such  confident  assurance  that  one 
cannot  take  it  amiss ;  one  feels  one's  self  in  the  presence 
of  a  master  who  has  the  complete  command  of  his  instru- 
ment.     With  a  single  stroke  of  the  bow  he  descends 
lightly  and   elegantly  from    the   height   of   passion   into 
quiet,  every-day  strains,  only  with  a  few  more  strokes  to 
work  himself  up  into  passion  again.      It  seems  as  if  he 
were  trying  to  mock,  to   tease   us.      When   we  are   on 


7 


3i6 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


U     \ 


>'#; 


the  point  of  going  below,  driven  by  6i  degrees  of  frost 
(  —  34.7  C),  such  magnificent  tones  again  vibrate  over  the 
strings  that  we  stay  until  noses  and  ears  are  frozen.  For 
a  finale,  there  is  a  wild  display  of  fireworks  in  every  tint 
of  flame — such  a  conflagration  that  one  expects  every 
minute  to  have  it  down  on  the  ice,  because  there  is  not 
room  for  it  in  the  sky.  But  I  can  hold  out  no  longer. 
Thinly  dressed,  without  a  proper  cap  and  without  gloves, 
I  have  no  feeling  left  in  body  or  limbs,  and  I  crawl  away 
below. 

"  Sunday,  December  loth.  Another  peaceful  Sunday. 
The  motto  for  the  day  in  the  English  almanac  is:  'He 
is  happy  whose  circumstances  suit  his  temper:  but  he 
is  more  excellent  who  can  suit  his  temper  to  any  cir- 
cumstances'  (Hume).  Very  true,  and  exactly  the  phi- 
losophy I  am  practising  at  this  moment.  I  am  lying 
on  my  berth  in  the  light  of  the  electric  lamp,  eating 
cake  and  drinking  beer  while  I  am  writing  my  journal; 
presently  I  shall  take  a  book  and  settle  down  to  read 
and  sleep.  The  arc  lamp  has  shone  like  a  sun  to-day 
over  a  happy  company.  We  have  no  difficulty  now  in 
distinguishing  hearts  from  diamonds  on  our  dirty  cards. 
It  ie  wonderful  what  an  effect  light  has.  I  believe  I  am 
becoming  a  fire-worshipper.  It  is  strange  enough  that 
fire-worship  should  not  exist  in  the  Arctic  countries. 


For  the  sons  of  men 

Fire  is  the  best, 

And  the  sight  of  the  sun.' 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


317 


"  A  newspaper  appears  on  board  now.  Framsjaa* 
(news  of,  or  outlook  from,  the  Fram)  is  its  name,  and  our 
doctor  is  its  irresponsible  editor.  The  first  number  was 
read  aloud  this  evening,  and  gave  occasion  for  much 
merriment.     Among  its  contents  are : 

'"WINTER   IN   THE   ICE 


(Contribution  to  the  Infant  Framsjaa) 

Far  in  the  ice  there  lies  a  ship,  boys, 
Mast  and  sail  ice  to  the  very  tip,  boys ; 
But,  perfectly  clear, 
If  you  listen  you  can  hear, 
There  is  life  and  fun  on  board  that  ship,  boys. 
What  can  it  be  ? 
Conic  along  and  see- 
It  is  Nansen  and  his  men  that  laugh,  boys. 


IF 


Nothing  to  be  heard  at  night  but  glasses'  clink,  boys, 

Fall  of  greasy  cards  and  counters'  chink,  boys ; 

If  he  won't  "declare," 

Nordahl  he  will  swear 

Bentzen  is  stupid  as  an  owl,  boys. 

Bentzen  cool,  boys. 

Is  not  a  fool,  boys ; 

"You're  another!"  quickly  he  replies,  boys. 

Among  those  sitting  at  the  table,  boys, 
Is"Heika,"t  with  iiis  body  big  and  stable,  boys; 
He  and  Lars,  so  keen. 
It  would  almost  seem 


m 


ri 


♦  Apparently  modelled  on  the  title  of  the  well  -  known  magazine, 
Kringsjaa,  which  means  "  A  Look  Around  "  or  "  Survey."  Framsjaa 
might  be  translated  "  The  Frain's  Lookout." 

t  The  name  Peter  Henriksen  generally  went  by  on  board. 


318 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


% 


\  '• 


!  i* 


M 


They  would  stake  their  lives  if  they  were  able,  boys. 

Amundsen,  again. 

Looks  at  these  two  men, 

Shakes  his  head  and  sadly  goes  to  bed,  boys.* 


A    LIVELY   GAM'^'    OF   CARDS 

[From  a  J'/iotogra/i/i) 


Sverdrup,  Blessing,  Hansen,  and  our  Mohn.t  boys. 

Say  of  "marriage,"  "This  game  is  our  own,"  boys; 

Soon  for  them,  alas ! 

The  happy  hour  is  past; 

And  Hansen  he  says,  "  Come  away,  old  Mohn  !"  boys. 

"  It  is  getting  late. 

And  the  stars  won't  wait, 

You  and  I  must  up  and  out  alone,"  boys. 

*  Refers  to  the  fact  that  Amundsen  hated  card-playing  more  than  any- 
thing else  in  the  world.     He  called  cards  "  the  devil's  playbooks." 

t  Nickname  of  our  meteorologist,  Johansen,  Professor  Mohn  being  a 
uistinguished  Norwegian  meteorologist. 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


319 


The  doctor  here  on  board  has  nought  to  do,  boys; 

Not  a  man  to  test  his  skill  among  the  crew,  boys; 

Well  may  he  look  blue. 

There's  nought  for  him  to  do, 

When  every  man  is  strong  and  hearty,  too,  boys. 

"  Now  on  the  Fratn"  boys, 

He  says  "  I  am,"  boys, 

"Chief  editor  of  newspaper  for  you  ! "  boys. 

"'Warning!  !  ! 

'"I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  warn  the  public  that  a 
travelling  watchmaker  has  been  making  the  round  of 
this  neighborhood  lately,  getting  watches  to  repair,  and 
not  returning  them  to  their  owners.  How  long  is  this 
to  be  allowed  to  go  on  under  the  eyes  of  the  authorities.? 

"  '  The  watchmaker's  appearance  is  as  follows  :  Middle 
height,  fair,  gray  eyes,  brown  full  beard,  round  shoulders, 
and  generally  delicate-looking. 

"'A.  JUELL.* 


'"The  person  above  notified  was  in  our  ofifice  yester- 
day,  asking  for  work,  and  we  consider  it  right  to  add  the 
following  particulars  as  completing  the  description.  He 
generally  goes  about  with  a  pack  of  mongrel  curs  at  his 
heels;  he  chews  tobacco,  and  of  this  his  beard  shows 
traces.  This  is  all  we  have  to  say,  as  we  did  not  consider 
ourselves  either  entitled  or  called  upon  to  put  him  under 
the  microscope. 

"'Ed.  Framsjaa' 

*  This  signature  proved  to  be  forged,  and  gave  rise  to  a  lawsuit  so 
long  and  intricate  that  space  does  not  permit  an  account  of  it  to  be  given. 


W 


320 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


»  v,s 


"Yesterday's  observation  placed  us  in  79°  o'  north 
latitude,  139°  14'  east  longitude.  At  last,  then,  we  have 
got  as  far  north  again  as  we  were  in  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber, and  now  the  northerly  drift  seems  to  be  steady :  10 
minutes  in  4  days. 

"Monday,  December  nth.  This  morning  I  took  a 
long  excursion  to  westward.  It  is  hard  work  struggling 
over  the  packed  ice  in  the  dark,  something  like  scram- 
bling about  a  moraine  of  big  boulders  at  night.  Once  I 
took  a  step  in  the  air,  fell  forward,  and  bruised  my  right 
knee.  It  is  mild  to-day,  only  9.V'  below  zero  (—23°  C). 
This  evening  there  was  a  strange  appearance  of  aurora 
borealis — white,  shining  clouds,  which  I  thought  at  first 
must  be  lit  up  by  the  moon,  but  there  is  no  moon  yet. 
They  were  light  cumuli,  or  cirro-cumuli,  shifting  into  a 
b'ightly  shining  mackerel  sky.  I  stood  and  watched 
them  as  long  as  my  thin  clothing  permitted,  but  there 
was  no  perceptible  pulsation,  no  play  of  flame;  they 
sailed  quietly  on.  The  light  seemed  to  be  strongest  in 
the  southeast,  where  there  were  also  dark  clouds  to  be 
seen.  Hansen  said  that  it  moved  over  later  into  the 
northern  sky;  clouds  came  and  went,  and  for  a  time 
there  were  many  white  shining  ones — 'white  as  lambs,' 
he  called  them — but  no  aurora  played  behind  them. 

"  In  this  day's  meteorological  journal  I  find  noted  for 
4  P.M. :  '  Faint  aurora  borealis  in  the  north.  Some  dis- 
tinct branchings  or  antlers  (they  are  of  ribbon  crimped 
like  blond)  in  some  diffused  patches  on  the   horizon  in 


TlfE    WINTER   NIGlfT 


331 


in 


the  N.N.K;     In  his  aurora  borcaHs  journal  Hansen  de- 
scribes that  of  this  evening  as  foHovvs:  'About  S  i-.m.  an 
aurora   borealis    arch    of   light  was    observed,  stretching 
from  E.S.E.  to  N.VV.,  through  the  zenith;  diffused  quiet 
intensity  3-4  most  intense  in  N.W.     The  arch  spread  at 
the  zenith  by  a  \va\e  to  the  south.     At  10  o'clock  there 
was  a  fainter  aurora  borealis  in  the  southern  sky;  eight 
minutes  later  it  extended  to  the  zenith,  and  two  minutes 
after  this   there   was  a  shining  broad    arch    across    the 
zenith  with  intensity  6.     Twelve  seconds  later  flaming 
rays  shot  from  the  zenith  in  an  easterly  direction.     Dur- 
ing the  next  half-hour  there  was  constant  aurora,  chiefly 
in  bands  across  or  near  the  zenith,  or  lower  in  the  south- 
ern sky.     The  observation  ended  about   10.38.     The  in- 
tensity  was  then  2,  the  aurora  diffused  over  the  southern 
sky.     There   were  cumulus  clouds  of  varying  closeness 
all  the  time.     They  came  up  in  the  southeast  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  obrervation,  and  disappeared  towards  the 
end  of  it;  they  were  closest  about    10  minutes  past  10. 
At  the   time   that  the   broad  shining  arch  throuirh  the 
zenith  was  at  its  highest  intensity  the  cumulus  clouds 
in  the  northwest  shone  quite  white,  though  we  were  un- 
able to   detect  any   aurora  borealis  phenomena    in  this 
quarter.     The  reflection    of  light   on   the   ice-field   was 
pretty  strong  at  the  same  time.     In  the  aurora  borealis 
the  cumulus  clouds  appeared   of  a  darker  color,  almost 
the  gray  of  wool.     The  colors  of  the  aurora  were  yellow- 
ish, bluish  white,  milky  blue — cold  coloring.'     According 


i  3;. 


21 


T 


323 


I'AKTllllST  AORTH 


I  f 


to  the  meteorological  journal  there  was  still  aurora  bore- 
alis  in  the  southern  sky  at  midnight. 

"Tuesday,  December  12th.  Had  a  long  walk  south- 
east this  morning.  The  ice  is  in  much  the  same  con- 
dition there  as  it  is  to  the  west,  packed  or  pressed  up 
into  mounds,  with  flat  floes  between.  This  evening  the 
dogs  suddenly  began  to  make  a  great  commotion  on 
deck.  We  were  all  deep  in  cards,  some  playing  whist, 
others  'marriage.'  I  had  no  shoes  on,  so  said  that 
some  one  else  must  go  up  and  see  what  was  the  mat- 
ter. Mogstad  went.  The  noise  grew  worse  and  worse. 
Presently  Mogstad  came  down  and  said  that  all  the  dogs 
that  could  get  at  the  rail  were  up  on  it,  barking  out 
into  the  dark  tc)\vards  the  north.  He  was  sure  there 
must  be  an  animal  of  some  sort  there,  but  perhaps  it 
was  only  a  fox,  for  he  thought  he  had  heard  the  bark 
of  a  fox  far  in  the  north;  but  he  was  not  sure.  Well, 
—  it  must  be  a  devil  of  a  fox  to  excite  the  doos  like 
that.  As  the  disturbance  continued,  I  at  last  went  up 
myself,  followed  by  Johansen.  I^-om  different  positions 
we  looked  long  and  hard  into  the  darkness  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  dogs  were  barking,  but  we 
could  see  nothing  moving.  That  something  must  be 
there  was  quite  certain  ;  and  I  had  no  doubt  that  it 
was  a  bear,  for  the  dogs  were  almost  beside  themselves. 
'  Pan  '  looked  up  into  my  face  with  an  odd  expression, 
as  if  he  had  something  important  to  tell  me,  and  then 
jumped    up  on  the  rail  and  barked  away  to  the   north. 


MX. 


Tltli   WIXTKR  NIGHT 


3^3 


The   clogs'  excitement  was  quite  remarkable;    they  had 
not   been   so    keen  when  the    bear  was  close  in  to  the 
side  of  the  ship.     However,  I  contented  myself  with  re- 
marking that  the  thing  to  do  would  be  to  loose  some 
dogs  and  go  north  with  them  over  the  ice.      But   these 
wretched  dogs  won't  tackle  a  bear,  and  besides  it  is  so 
dark  that  there  is  hardly  a  chance  of  finding  anything. 
If  it  is  a  bear  he  will  come  again.     At  this  season,  when 
he  is  so  hungry,  he  will  hardly  go  right  away  from  all  the 
good  food  for  him  here  on  board.     I  struck   about   with 
my  arms  to  get  a  little  heat  into  me,  then  went  below 
and    to    bed.     The  dogs    went    on    barking,   sometimes 
louder  than  before.     Nordahl,  whose  watch  it  was,  went 
up  several  times,  but  could  discover  no   reason  for  it. 
As  I  was  lying  reading  in  my  berth  I  heard  a  peculiar 
sound;  it  was  like   boxes  being  dragged  about  on  deck, 
and  there  was  also  scrajjing,  like  a  dog  that  wanted  to 
get  out,   scratching   violently  at  a  door.     I  thoucrht   of 
'  Kvik,'  who  was  shut   up   in  the  chart-room.     I  called 
into  the  saloon    to   Nordahl   that  he  had  better  go  up 
again  and   see  what  this  new  noise  was.     He  did  so,  but 
came  back  saying  that  there  was  still  nothing  to  be  seen. 
It  was  difficult  to  sleep,    and   I  lay  long  tossing  about. 
Peter  came  on  watch.     I  told  him  to  go  up  and  turn  the 
air-sail  to  the  wind,  to  make  the  ventilation  better.     He 
was  a  good  time  on   deck   doing   this   and  other  things, 
but  he  also  could  see  no  reason  for  the  to-do  the  dof^s 
were  still  making.     He   had    to   go   forward,    and   then 


■ 


p, 


I 


};i 


324 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


noticed  that  the  three  doj^s  nearest  the  starboard  cans- 
way  were  missing.  He  came  down  and  told  me,  and 
we  agreed  that  possibly  this  might  be  what  all  the  ex- 
citement was  about;  but  never  before  had  they  taken  it 
so  to  heart  when  some  of  their  number  had  run  away. 
At  last  I  fell  asleep,  but  heard  them  in  my  sleep  for  a 
long  time. 

"Wednesday,  December  13th.     Before  I  was  rightly 
awake  this  morning  I   heard   the   dogs  '  at  it '  still,  and 
the  noise  went  on  all  the  time  of  breakfast,  and  had,  I 
believe,  gone   on    all    night.      After   breakfast   Mogstad 
and   Peter  went  up  to  feed  the  wretched  creatures  and 
let  them    loose    on    the    ice.     Three  were  still   missins:. 
Peter  came  down  to  get  a  lantern ;  he  thought  he  might 
as  well  look  if  there  were  any  tracks  of  animals.     Jacob- 
sen  called  after  him  that  he  had  better  talce  a  sun.     No. 
he  did  not  need  one,  he  said,     A  litt!-  later,  as  I  was  sit- 
ting sorrowfully  absorbed  in  the  calculation  of  how  much 
petroleum  we  had  used,  and  now  short  a  time  our  sup- 
ply would  last  if  we  went  on  burning  it  at  the  same  rate, 
I  heard  a  scream  at  the  top  of  the  companioi  .     'Come 
with  a  gun !'     In    a  moment   I  was   in  the  saloon,  and 
there  was    Peter  tumbling   in   at   the   door,  breathlessly 
shouting,  '  A   gun !   a  gun  !'     The  bear  had  bitten   him 
in    the   side.       I    was    thankful    that    it   was    no   worse. 
Hearing  him  put  on  so  much  dialect,*  I  had  thought 


*  He  says  "  ei  borsja  "  for  "  ^-  gun  "  instead  of  "  en  bosse.' 


0  '»  f 


_^i 


h  % 


,7 


Pi,  '-  * 


notired  that  the  three  dosvs  nearest  the  starboard  <Tan{r- 
were  missing.      lie  came  down    and    told    nit-,   and 
wc   ayjrecd    that    ]>()ssibly   this  ndu,ht  h<-   .  H    jlw  e\- 

citemcrit  w  ^  ,  a!.)0!  '  :    '■')[  i'('\.t  bcfoM'   :  ,       :>   ■!. 

So  to  licart  when  ;      Ji>.ir   ni;n,:-.  :  \. 

\\    ;.i>t  1  feil   aslv'c|).  Iju!    neard   tlieni    in   ii;v   ,-ieep  for  .i 
iunu'  time. 

"  Wedne.sd;!      ' ''     ember  i  ^th.      Hefore    f   was  riehtlv 
awaio:        ■     nuriiiuig   I    V        :    die   dogs  'at  it'  siilh  and 
cnl  on   all  the  time  of  breakfast,  and   !iad,  I 
behe\t',  gone   on-  all    night.       After   breakfast   Mos-.stad 
and    Peter  went  up  to  teen  n-etched  creatures  ami 

let   th'.'in    loose  die    ice.      Tliree  were   still    niissin"- 

1  .  M.ne  dov>n  ;      .    ■  a  lantern:   he  thought  he  might 

as  Awll  look  it  there  were  anv  ^       ^        ;    mimal-^.      iaolv 

illed  after  iuni  that  lie  Im.!  i>t:-r\-  [■'• 
he  did  not  need  one,  he  said,       '        /  ■     i 

ting  sorrowfiill'/  -t:-.-.-]^---d  in  i\r- 

petr(deu!n    ;  .    Ii.ia   usuo,  and  how  .-.iHMa  .■  r  r^up- 

j>iy  would  la.>t  jf  we  went  on  burning  it  at  tht  same  rate, 
1  heard  a  scream  at  the  top  of  the  companion.  •  C^^me 
with  a  gun  I'  in  a  moment  f  \v,i>  in  the  saloon,  and 
there  was    Pet.  t    i;i'ni)'i'  :  eathlesslv 

shontinu.  Jhe   bear  had  bitten   him 

ill    dv  i     was    thankful    tl  worse. 

Hearing   hi.i  ic!i   dialeei,'    !    had    thout/ht 


a 

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W  :    : 


!  ! 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


325 


it  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death.  I  seized  one  sun, 
he  another,  and  up  we  rushed,  the  mate  with  his  gun 
after  us.  There  was  not  much  difficulty  in  knowing 
in  what  direction  to  turn,  for  from  the  rail  on  the 
starboard  side  came  confused  shouts  of  human  voices, 
and  from  the  ice  below  the  gangway  the  sound  of  a 
frightful  uproar  of  dogs.  I  tore  out  the  tow-plug  at  the 
muzzle  of  my  rifle,  then  up  with  the  lever  and  in  with  a 
cartridge  ;  it  was  a  case  of  hurry.  But,  hang  it !  there  is 
a  plug  in  at  this  end  too.  I  poked  and  poked,  but  could 
not  get  a  grip  of  it.  Peter  screamed :  '  Shoot,  shoot ! 
Mine  won't  go  off!  He  stood  clicking  and  clicking,  his 
lock  full  of  frozen  vaseline  again,  while  the  bear  lay  chew- 
ing at  a  dog  just  below  us  at  the  ship's  side.  Beside  me 
stood  the  mate,  groping  after  a  tow-plug  which  he  also 
had  shoved  down  into  his  gun,  but  now  he  fluns;  the  sun 
angrily  away  and  began  to  look  round  the  deck  for  a 
walrus  spear  to  stick  the  bear  with.  Our  fourth  man, 
Mogstad,  was  waving  an  empty  rifle  (he  had  shot  away 
his  cartridges),  and  shouting  to  some  one  to  shoot  the 
bear.  Four  men,  and  not  one  that  could  shoot,  although 
we  could  have  prodded  the  bear's  back  with  our  gun- 
barrels.  Hansen,  making  a  fifth,  was  lying  in  the  pas- 
sage to  the  chart-room,  groping  with  his  arm  through 
a  chink  in  the  door  for  cartridges ;  he  could  not  get  the 
door  open  because  of  '  Kvik's '  kennel.  At  last  Johan- 
sen  appeared  and  sent  a  ball  straight  down  into  the 
bear's  hide.     That  did  some  good.     The  monster  let  so 


I 


326 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


1 1 


t 


the  dog  and  gave  a  growl.  Another  shot  flashed  and 
hissed  down  on  the  same  spot.  One  more,  and  we  saw 
the  white  dog  the  bear  had  under  him  jump  up  and  run 
off,  while  the  other  dogs  stood  round,  barking.  Another 
shot  still,  for  the  animal  began  to  stir  a  little.  At  this 
moment  x\\yj  plug  came  out,  and  I  gave  him  a  last  ball 
through  the  head  to  make  sure.  The  dogs  had  crowd- 
ed round  barking  as  long  as  he  moved,  but  now  that 
he  lay  still  in  death  they  drew  back  terrified.  They 
probably  thought  it  was  some  new  ruse  of  the  enemy. 
It  was  a  little  thin  one-year-old  bear  that  had  caused  all 
this  terrible  commotion. 

"  While  it  was  being  flayed  I  went  off  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  to  look  for  the  dogs  that  were  still 
missing.  I  had  not  gone  far  when  I  noticed  that  the 
dogs  that  were  following  me  had  caught  scent  of  some- 
thing to  the  north  and  wanted  to  go  that  way.  Soon 
they  got  frightened,  and  I  could  not  get  them  to  go  on ; 
they  kept  close  in  to  my  side  or  slunk  behind  me.  I 
held  my  gun  ready,  while  I  crawled  on  all-fours  over  the 
pack-ice,  which  was  anything  but  level.  I  kept  a  steady 
lookout  ahead,  but  it  was  not  far  my  eyes  could  pierce  in 
that  darkness.  I  could  only  just  see  the  dogs,  like  black 
shadows,  when  they  were  a  few  steps  away  from  me.  I 
expected  every  moment  to  see  a  huge  form  rise  among 
the  hummocks  ahead,  or  come  rushing  towards  me.  The 
dogs  got  more  and  more  cautious;  one  or  two  of  them 
sat  down,  but  they  probably  felt  that  it  would  be  a  shame 


ill'  ^ 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


1^7 


to  let  me  go  on  alone,  so  followed  slowly  after.     Terrible 
ice  to  force  one's  way  over.     Crawling  along  on  hands 
and  knees  does  not  put  one  in  a  very  convenient  posi- 
tion  to  shoot  from  if  the   bear  should   make  a  sudden 
rush.     But   unless  he  did  this,  or  attacked    the   dogs,  I 
had  no   hope  of   getting    him.     We    now   came  out  on 
some  flat  ice.     It  was  only  too  evident  that  there  must 
be  something  quite  near  now.     I  went  on,  and  presently 
saw  a  dark  object  on  the  ice  in  front  of  me.     It  was  not 
unlike  an   animal.     I  bent  down— it  was  poor  '  Johan- 
sen's  Friend,'  the  black  dog  with  the  white  tip  to  his  tail, 
in  a  sad  state,  and  frozen  stiff.     Beside   him   was  some- 
thing else  dark.     I  bent  down  again  and  found  the  sec- 
ond of  the  missing  dogs,  brother  of  the  corpse-watcher 
'Suggen.'     This  one   was    almost    whole,  only  eaten    a 
little  about  the  head,  and  it  was  not  frozen  quite  stiff. 
There    seemed    to    be    blood   all    round  on   the  ice.     I 
looked  about  in  every  direction,  but  there  was   nothing 
more   to   be  seen.     The  dogs  stood  at  a  respecLful  dis- 
tance,  staring  and  sniffing  in  the  direction  of  their  dead 
comrades.     Some  of  us  went,  not  long  after  this,  to  fetch 
the  dogs'  carcasses,  taking  a   lantern  to   look   for   bear 
tracks,  in   case  there  had   been  some  big  fellows   alono- 
with  the  little  one.     We  scrambled   on  among  the  pack- 
ice.      'Come    this    way    with   the    lantern,    Bentzen  ;    I 
think  I  see  tracks  here.'     Bentzen  came,  and  we  turned 
the  light  on  some  indentations  in  the  snow;  they  were 
bear- paw  marks,  sure  enough,  but  only  the  same  little 


^W  f 

\  f 

^^^^^^n*' 

Hi  t' ^ 

Im 

■■■lait  . 

;     ! 

^H  \^ 

f     1 

328 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


fellow's.     'Look!    the    brute   has   been   dragging  a  clog 
after  him  here.'     By  the   light  of  the  lantern  we  traced 
the  blood-marked   path  on   among  the  hummocks.     We 
found  the  dead  dogs,  but  no  footprints  except  small  ones, 
which  we  all  thought  must  be   those  of  our  little  bear. 
'  Svarten;  alias  '  Johansen's  Friend,'   looked  bad  in    the 
lantern-light.      Flesh  and  skin  and  entrails  were  gone; 
there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  a  bare  breast  and  back- 
bone, with  some  stumps  of  ribs.     It  was  a  pity  that  the 
fine  strong  dog  should  come  to  such  an  end.     He  had 
just  one  fault :  he  was  rather  bad-tempered.     He  had  a 
special    dislike    to    Johansen;    barked    and    showed    his 
teeth  whenever  he  came  on  deck  or  even  opened  a  door, 
and  when  he  sat  whistling  in  the  top  or  in  the  crow's- 
nest  these  dark  winter  days  the  '  Friend  '  would  answer 
with  a  howl  of  rage  from  far  out  on  the  ice.     Johansen 
bent  down  with  the  lantern  to  look  at  the  remains. 

'"Are  you  glad,  Johansen,  that  your  enemy  is  done 
for.?' 

" '  No,  I  am  sorry.' 
"'Why.?' 

Because  we  did  not  make  it  up  before  he  died.' 
"And  we  went  on  to  look  for  more  bear- tracks,  but 

found  none;  so  we  took  the  dead  dogs  on  our  backs  and 

turned  homeward. 

"  On  the  way  I  asked  Peter  what  had  really  happened 

with  him  and  the  bear.     '  Well,  you  see,'  said  he, '  when 

I  came  along  with  the  lantern  we  saw  a  few  drops  of 


*  ) 


THE  WINTER  NIGHT 


329 


blood  by  the  gangway;  but  that  might  quite  well  have 
been  a  dog  that  had  cut  itself.     On  the  ice  below  the 
gangway  we  saw  some  bear-tracks,  and  we  started  away 
west,  the  whole  pack  of  dogs   with   us,  running  on  far 
ahead.     When   we  had  got  away   a  bit  from   the  ship, 
there  was  suddenly  an  awful  row  in  front,  and  it  wasn't 
long  before  a  great  beast  came  rushing  at  us,  with  the 
whole  troop  of  dogs  around  it.     As  soon  as  we  saw  what 
it  was,  we  turned  and  ran  our  best  for  the  shiij.      INIoo-- 
stad,  you  see,  had  moccasins  (komager)  on,  and  knew  his 
way   bettor  and  got    there   before   me.      I   couldn't  o-et 
along  so  fast  with   my  great  wooden  shoes,  and  in  my 
confusion  I  got  right  on  to  the  big  hummock  to  the  west 
of  the  ship's  bow,  you  know.     I  turned  here  and  lighted 
back  to  see  if  the  bear  was  behind  me,  but  I  saw  nothing 
and  pushed  on   again,  and   in  a  minute   these   slippery 
wooden  shoes  had  me  flat  on  my  back  among  the  hum- 
mocks.    I  was  up  again  quick  enough ;  but  when  I  got 
down  on  to  the  flat  ice  close  to  the  ship  I  saw  something 
coming  straight  for  me  on  the  right-hand  side.     First  I 
thought  it  was  a  dog — it's  not  so  easy  to  see  in  the  dark, 
you  know.     I  had  no  time  for  a  second  thought,  for  the 
beast  jumped  on  me  and  bit  me  in  the  side.     I  had  lifted 
my  arm  like   this,  you  see,  and  so  he  caught  me  here, 
right  on  the  hip.     He  growled  and  hissed  as  he  bit.' 
'"What  did  you  think  then,  Peter.?" 
"'What  did  I  think?     I  thought  it  was  all  up  with 
me.     What  was  I  to  do?     I  had  neither  gun  nor  knife. 


tn.  1 


* 


330 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


But  I  took  the  lantern  and  gave  liini  such  a  whack  on 
the  head  with  it  that  the  thiut;  broke,  and  went  Hying 
away  over  the  ice.  The  moment  he  felt  the  blow  he  sat 
down  and  looked  at  me.     I  was  just  taking  to  my  heels 


f'l  i 


"  '  I    TOOK    THE    LANTERN    AND   GAVE    HIM    SUCH   A  WHACK 
ON    THE    HEAD    WITH    IT '" 

(Drawn  by  //.  Egidiiis) 

when  he  got  up;  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  to  grip  me 
again  or  what  it  was  for,  but  anyhow  at  that  minute  he 
caught  sight  of  a  dog  coming  and  set  off  after  it,  and  I 
got  on  board.' 

"  '  Did  you  scream,  Peter.?' 


■    Vt('^*4*  i'^,^*'-ClV>--^^ 


THE   WINTER  XJGHT 


331 


"'Scream!     I  screamed  with  all  my  might.' 
"  And  apparently  this  was  true,  for  he  was  qm'te  hoarse. 
"  '  Hut  where  was  Mogstad  all  this  time  ?' 
"  '  Well,  you  see,  he  had  reached  the  ship  long  be- 
fore   me,  but   he    never  thought  of  running   down''  and 
giving    the  alarm,   but  takes   hi.  gun   from   the   round- 
house wall  and  thinks  he'll  manage  all  right  alone;   but 
his  ^r^vxn  wouldn't  go  off,  and   the   bear  would  have  had 
time  to  eat  me  up  before  his  nose.' 

"  We  were  now  near  the  ship,  and  Mogstad,  who  had 
heard  the  last  part  of  the  story  from  the  deck,  cor- 
rected it  in  so  far  that  he  had  just  reached  the  gang- 
way when  Peter  began  to  roar.  He  jumped  up  and  fdl 
back  three  times  before  he  got  on  board,  and  had  no 
time  to  do  anything  then  but  seize  his  gun  and  go  to 
Peter's  assistance. 

"When  the  bear  left  Peter  and  rushed  after  the 
dogs  he  soon  had  the  whole  pack  about  him  again. 
Now  he  would  make  a  spring  and  get  one  below  him; 
but  then  all  the  rest  would  set  upon  him  and  jump 
on  his  back,  so  that  he  had  to  turn  to  defend  him- 
self.  Then  he  would  spring  upon  another  dog,  and 
the  whole  pack  would  be  on  him  again.  And  so  the 
dance  went  on,  backward  and  forward  over  the  ice, 
until  they  were  once  more  close  to  the  ship.  A  dog 
stood  there,  below  the  gangway,  wanting  to  get  on 
board ;  the  bear  made  a  spring  on  it,  and  it  was  there, 
by  the  ship's  side,  that  the  villain  met  his  fate. 


t.  ?  -^  1 


332 


FARTHEST  NORTJl 


<   •, 


»    ; 


f*'  -i 


"  An  examination  f)n  board  showed  that  the  hook  of 
'Svarten's'  leash  was  pulled  out  quite  straight;  '(iani- 
nielen's'  was  broken  through;  but  the  third  dog's  was 
only  wrenehed  a  little;  it  hardly  looked  as  if  the  bear 
had  done  it.  I  had  a  slight  hope  that  this  dotr  niiirht 
still  be  in  life,  but,  though  we  searched  well,  we  eould 
not  find  it. 

"  It  was  altogether  a  deplorable  story.  To  think  that 
we  should  have  let  a  bear  scramble  on  board  like  this, 
and  should  have  lost  three  dogs  at  once !  Our  dogs  are 
dwindling  down;  we  have  only  26  now.  That  was  a 
wily  demon  of  a  bear,  to  be  such  a  little  one.  He  had 
crawled  on  board  by  the  gangway,  shoved  away  a  box 
that  was  standing  in  front  of  it,  taken  the  dog  that  stood 
nearest,  and  gone  off  with  it.  When  he  had  satisfied  the 
first  pangs  of  his  hunger,  he  had  come  back  and  fetched 
No.  2,  and,  if  he  had  been  allowed,  he  would  have  con- 
tinued the  performance  until  the  deck  was  cleared  of 
dogs.  Then  he  would  probably  have  come  bumping 
down-stairs  'and  beckoned  with  cold  hand'  in  at  the  o-al- 
ley  door  to  Juell.  It  must  have  been  a  pleasant  feeling 
for  '  Svarten  '  to  stand  there  in  the  dark  and  see  the  bear 
come  creeping  in  upon  him. 

"  When  I  went  below  after  this  bear  affair,  Juell  said 
as  I  passed  the  galley  door,  'You'll  see  that  "  Kv^k  '  will 
have  her  pups  to-day;  for  it's  always  the  way  heie  on 
board,  that  things  happen  together.'  And,  sure  enough, 
when  vve  were  sitting  in  the  saloon  in  the  evening,  Moo-- 


'^^•'^-t.  '.%•  -    '  n  nil  n  jiMfcM  I ■  II  I ■    II 


^'to'ii^ik  h.^^" 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


333 


stad.  who  generally  |)lays  '  master  of  the  hounds,'  came 
and  announced  the  arrival  t)f  the  first.     Soon  there  was 
another,  and  then   one    more.     This    news   was  a    little 
balsam   to   our   wounds.     '  Kvik  '  has  j;ot  a  j^ood  warm 
box,  lined  with  fur,  up  in  the  passage  on  the  starboard ;  it 
is  so  warm  there  that  she  is  lying  sweating,  and  we  hope 
that  the  young  ones   will  live,  in  spite  of  54  degrees  of 
frost.      It  seems  this  evening  as  if  every  one  had  some 
hesitation  in  going  out  on  the  ice  unarmed.    Our  bayonet- 
knives  have  been  brought  out,  and  I  am  providing  myself 
with  one.     I  must  say  that  I  felt  quite  certain  that  we 
should  find  no  bears  as  far  north  as  this  in  the  middle  of 
winter;  and  it  never  occurred  to  me,  in  makinc  Vm^r  ex- 
cursions  on  the  ice  without  so  much  as  a  penknife  in  my 
pocket,  that  I  was  liable  to  encounters  with  them.     But, 
after  Peter's  experience,  it  seems  as  if  it  might  be  as  well 
to   have,  at  any  rate,  a  lantern  to  hit  them  with.     The 
long  bayonet-knife  shall  accompany  me  henceforth. 

"  They  often  chaffed  Peter  afterwards  about  havincr 
screamed  so  horribly  when  the  bear  seized  him.  '  H'm! 
I  wonder,'  said  he,  'if  there  aren't  others  that  would 
have  screeched  just  as  loud.  I  had  to  yell  after  the 
fellows  that  were  so  afraid  of  frightening  the  bear  that 
when  they  ran  they  covered  seven  yards  at  each  stride.' 

"Thursday,  December  14th.  'Well,  iMogstad,  how 
many  pups  have  you  now.?'  I  asked  at  breakfast. 
'  There  are  five  now.'  But  soon  after  he  came  down  to 
tell  me  that  there  were  at  least  twelve.     Gracious !  that 


% 


J' 

1 


r  ■A>».*«4^*f^.  ■•»*»■• -^ 


334 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


is  good  value  for  what  we  have  lost.  But  we  were 
almost  as  pleased  wh(^n  Johansen  came  down  and  said 
that  he  heard  the  missing  dog  howling  on  the  ice  far 
away  to  the  northwest.  Several  of  us  went  up  to  listen, 
and  we  could  all  hear  him  quite  well ;  but  it  sounded 
as  if  hv.  were  sitting  still,  howling  in  despair.  Perhaps 
he  was  at  an  opening  in  the  ice  that  he  could  not  get 
across.  Blessing  had  also  heard  him  duiina:  his  ni»ht- 
watch,  but  then  the  sound  had  come  more  from  a  south- 
westerly direction.  When  Peter  went  after  breakfast  to 
feed  the  dogs,  there  was  the  lost  one,  standing  below 
the  gangway  wanting  to  get  on  board.  Hungry  he  was 
—  he  dashed  straight  into  the  food-dish — but  otherwise 
hale  and  hearty.  ' 

"  This  evening  Peter  came  and  said  that  he  was  cer- 
tain he  had  heard  a  bear  moving  about  and  pawing  the 
ice;  he  and  Pettersen  had  stood  and  listened  to  him 
scraping  at  the  snow  crust.  I  put  on  my  '  pcsk '  (a  fur 
blouse),  got  liold  of  my  double-barrelled  rifle,  and  went 
on  deck.  The  whole  crew  were  collected  aft,  gazing  out 
into  the  night.  We  let  loose  'Ulenka'  and  'Pan,'  and 
went  in  the  direction  where  the  bear  was  said  to  be.  It 
Vv^as  pitch-dark,  but  the  clogs  would  find  the  tracks  if 
there  was  anything  there.  Hansen  thought  he  had  seen 
something  moving  about  the  hummock  near  the  ship, 
but  we  found  and  heard  nothing,  and,  as  several  of  the 
others  had  by  this  time  come  out  on  the  ice  and  could 
also  discover  nothing,  we  scrambled  on  board  again.     It 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


335 


is  extraordinary  all  the  sounds  that  one  can  fancy  one 
hears  out  on  that  great,  still  space,  mysteriously  lighted 
by  the  twinkling  stars. 

"Friday,  December  15th.  This  morning  Peter  saw 
a  fox  on  the  ice  astern,  and  he  saw  it  again  later,  when 
he  was  out  with  the  dogs.  There  is  something  remark- 
able about  this  appearance  of  bears  and  foxes  now,  after 
our  seeing  no  life  for  so  long.  The  last  time  we  saw  a 
fox  we  were  far  south  of  this,  possibly  near  Sannikoff 
Land.  Can  we  have  come  into  the  neighborhood  of 
land  again  .'' 

"  I  inspected  '  Kvik's'  pups  in  the  afternoon.  There 
were  thirteen,  a  curious  coincidence  —  thirteen  pups  on 
December  13th,  for  thirteen  men.  Five  were  killed; 
'  Kvik '  can  manage  eight,  but  more  would  be  bad  for 
her.  Poor  mother !  she  was  very  anxious  about  her 
young  ones  —  wanted  to  jump  up  into  the  box  beside 
them  and  take  them  from  us.  And  you  can  see  that 
she  is  very  proud  of  them. 

"  Peter  came  this  evening  and  said  that  there  must  be  a 
ghost  on  the  ice,  for  he  heard  exactly  the  same  sounds  of 
walking  and  pawing  as  yesterday  evening.  This  seems 
to  be  a  populous  region,  after  all. 

"According  to  an  observation  taken  on  Tuesday  we 
must  be  pretty  nearly  in  79°  8'  north  latitude.  That 
was  8  minutes'  drift  in  the  three  days  from  Saturday;  we 
are  getting  on  better  and  better. 

"  Why  will  it  not  snow  ?     Christmas  is  near,  and  what 


ill 


r 


■A 


I' 

t 


M. 


336 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


is  Christmas  without  snow,  thickly  falling  snow  ?  We 
have  not  had  one  snowfall  all  the  time  we  have  been 
drifting.  The  hard  grains  that  come  down  now  and 
again  are  nothing.  Oh  the  beautiful  white  snow,  falling 
so  gently  and  silently,  softening  every  hard  outline  with 
its  sheltering  purity !  There  is  nothing  more  deliciously 
restful,  soft,  and  white.      This  snowless  ice-plain  is  like 


.  I''r':''^% 


A    NOCTURNAL   VISITANT 

{By  H.  Egidius,from  a  Photograph) 


a  life  without  love—nothing  to  soften  it.  The  marks  of 
all  the  battles  and  pressures  of  the  ice  stand  forth  just 
as  when  they  were  made,  rugged  and  difficult  to  move 


I 


2'HE   WINTER  NIGHT 


337 


among.  Love  is  life's  snow.  It  falls  deepest  and  softest 
into  the  gashes  left  by  the  fight— whiter  and  purer  than 
snow  itself.  What  is  life  without  love .?  It  is  like  this 
ice— a  cold,  bare,  rugged  mass,  the  wind  driving  it  and 
rending  it  and  then  forcing  it  together  again,  nothing  to 
cover  over  the  open  rifts,  nothing  to  break  the  violence 
of  the  collisions,  nothing  to  round  away  the  sharp  cor- 
ners of  the  broken  floes— nothing,  nothing  but  bare,  rug- 
ged drift-ice. 

"Saturday,  December  i6th.  In  the  afternoon  Peter 
came  quietly  into  the  saloon,  and  said  that  he  heard  all 
sorts  of  noises  on  the  ice.  There  was  a  sound  to  the 
north  exactly  like  that  of  ice  packing  against  land,  and 
then  suddenly  there  was  such  a  roar  through  the  air  that 
the  dogs  started  up  and  barked.  Poor  Peter!  They 
laugh  at  him  when  he  comes  down  to  give  an  account  of 
his  many  observations;  but  there  is  not  one  amonc;  us  as 
sharp  as  he  is. 

"Wednesday,  December  20th.  As  I  was  sittino-  at 
breakfast,  Peter  came  roaring  that  he  believed  he  had 
seen  a  bear  on  the  ice,  '  and  that  "  Pan  "  set  off  the 
moment  he  was  loosed.'  I  rushed  on  to  the  ice  with  my 
gun.  Several  men  were  to  be  seen  in  the  moonh'crht,  but 
no  bear.  It  was  long  before  '  Pan '  came  back ;  he  had 
followed  him  far  to  the  northwest. 

"Sverdrup  and  'Smith  Lars'  in  partnership  have  made 
a  great  bear-trap,  which,  was  put  out  on  the  ice  to-day. 
As  I  was  afraid  of  more  dogs  than  bears  being  caught  in 


^ 


338 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


h\ 


nm 


f  M 


\i:  ! 


i  • 


1^    i*> 


it,  it  was  hung  from  a  gallows,  too  high  for  the  dogs  to 
jump  up  to  the  piece  of  blubber  which  hangs  as  bait 
right  in  the  mouth  of  the  trap.  All  the  clogs  spend  the 
evening  now  sitting  on  the  rail  barking  at  this  new  man 
they  see  out  there  on  the  ice  in  the  moonlioht. 

"  Thursday,  December  21st.  It  is  extraordinary,  after 
all,  how  the  time  passes.  Here  we  are  at  the  shortest 
day,  though  we  ha\'e  no  day.  But  now  we  are  movino- 
on  to  light  and  summer  again.  We  tried  to  sound  to- 
day; had  out  2100  metres  (over  1 100  fathoms)  of  line 
without  reaching  the  bottom.  We  have  no  more  line; 
what  is  to  be  done  .?•  Who  could  have  guessed  that  we 
should  find  such  deep  water }  There  has  been  an  arch 
of  light  in  the  sky  all  day,  opposite  the  moon;  so  it  is  a 
lunar  rainbow,  but  without  color,  so  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  see. 

"  Friday,  December  2 2d.     A  bear  was  shot  last  night. 

Jacobsen  saw   it  first,  during  his  watch.     He  shot  at  it. 

It  made  off;    and  he   then  went  down  and   told  about 

it   in    the   cabin.     Mogstad    and   Peter  came   on    deck; 

Sverdrup   was  called,  too,    and   came   up    a   little   later. 

They  saw  the  bear  on  his  way  towards  the  ship  again  ; 

but  he  suddenly  caught  sight  of  the  gallows  with  the  trap 

on  the  ice  to  the  west,  and  went  off  there.     He   looked 

well  at  the  apparatus,  then  raised  himself  cautiously  on 

his  liind-legs,  and  laid  his  right  paw  on  the  cross-beam 

just    beside    the    trap,  stared    for   a   little,  hesitating,  at 

the  delicious  morsel,  but  did  not  at  all  like  the  ugly  jaws 


]■ 


II 


1 

,i 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


341 


round  it.  Sverdrup  was  by  this  time  out  at  the  deck- 
house, watching  in  the  sparkling  moonshine.  His  heart 
was  jumping — he  expected  every  moment  to  hear  the 
snap  of  his  trap.     But  the  bear  shook   his  head  suspi- 


'HE   STARED,   HESITATING,    AT  THE    DELICIOUS  MORSEL  " 

(Orawn  by  //.  EsUliiis) 

ciously,  lowered  himself  cautiously  on  to  all-fours  acrain 
and  sniffed  carefully  at  the  wire  that  the  trap  was  fast- 
ened by,  following  it  along  to  where  it  was   made  fast 
to  a  great  block  of  ice.     He  went  round  this,  and  saw 


m 


I 


342 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\\ 


\\. 


J       fi 


m 


how  cleverly  it  was  all  arranged,  then  slowly  followed  the 
wire  back,  raised  himself  up  as  before,  with  his  paw  on 
the  beam  of  the  gallows,  had  a  long  look  at  the  trap, 
and  shook  his  head  again,  probably  saying  to   himself, 
'  These  wily  fellows  have  planned  this  very  cleverly  for 
me.'     Now  he   resumed  his  march  to  the  ship.     When 
he  was  within  60  paces  of  the   bow  Peter  f^red.       The 
bear  fell,  but  jumped  up  and  again  made  off.     Jacobsen, 
Sverdrup,  and  Mogstad  all  fired  now,  and  he  fell  among 
some   hummocks.     He  was   flayed   at  once,  and   in   the 
skin  there  was  only  the  hole  of  one  ball,  which  had  gone 
through   him   from   behind   the   shoulder-blade.      Peter, 
Jacobsen,  and   Mogstad  all  claimed  this  ball.     Sverdrup 
gave    up    his    claim,    as    he    had    stood    so    far    astern. 
Mogstad,  seeing   the    bear   fall    directly  after   his   shot, 
called  out,  'I  gave  him  that  one';  Jacobsen  swears  that 
it  was  he  that  hit;  and  Bentzen,  who  was  standino-  look- 
ing  on,  is  prepared  to  take  his  oath  anywhere  that  it  was 
Peter's  ball  that  did  the  deed.     The  dispute  upon  this 
weighty  point  remained  unsettled  during  the  whole  course 
of  the  expedition. 

"Beautiful  moonlight.  Pressure  in  several  directions. 
To-day  we  carried  our  supply  of  gun-cotton  and  cannon 
and  rifie  powder  on  deck.  It  is  safer  there  than  in  the 
hold.  In  case  of  fire  or  other  accident,  an  explosion 
in  the  hold  might  blow  the  ship's  sides  out  and  send 
us  to  the  bottom  before  we  had  time  to  turn  round. 
Some   we   put   on    the   forecastle,  some   on  the  bridge. 


■^\ 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


343 


From  these   places    it  would  be   quickly   thrown    on   to 
the  ice. 

"Saturday,   December   23d.     What  we   call   in    Nor- 
way  'Little  Christmas -eve.'     I  went  a  long  way   west 
this  morning,  coming  home  late.     There  was  packed  up 
ice  everywhere,  with   flat   floes  between.     I  was   turned 
by  a  newly  formed  opening  in   the  ice,  which   I  dared 
not  cross  on  the  thin  layer  of  fresh  ice.     In  the  after- 
noon, as  a  first  Christmas  entertainment,  we  tried  an  ice- 
blasting  with   four  prisms  of  gun-cotton.      A  hole  was 
made  with  one  of  the  large  iron  drills  we  had  brought 
with  us  for  this  purpose,  and  the  charge,  with  the  end  of 
the  electric  connecting  wire,  was  sunk  about  a  foot  below 
the  surface  of  the  ice.     71ien  all  retired,  the  knob  was 
touched,  there  was  a  dull  crash,  and  water  and  pieces  of 
ice  were  shot  up  into  the  air.     Although  it  was  60  yards 
off,  it  gave  the  ship  a  good  jerk  that  shook  everything  on 
board,  and  brought  the  hoar-frost  down  from  the  ricraino- 
The  explosion  blew  a  hole  through  the  four-feet-thick  ice, 
but  its  only  other  effect  was  to  make  small  cracks  round 
this  holf". 

"Sunday,  December  24th  (Christmas-eve),  67  degrees* 
,x  cold  {  —  zf  C).  Glittering  moonlight  and  the  end- 
less stillness  of  the  Arctic  night.  I  took  a  solitary  stroll 
over  the  ice.  The  first  Christmas-eve,  and  how  far  away ! 
The  observation  shows  us  to  be  in  79^  11'  north  latitude. 
There  is  no  drift.  Two  minutes  farther  south  than  six 
days  ago." 


<:  m\ 


i| 


,t 


,  1^ 


{  '- 


344 


FARTHES'r  NORTH 


There  are  no  further  particulars  given  of  this  day  in 
the  diary;  but  when  I  think  of  it,  how  clearly  it  all  comes 
back  to  me!     There  was  a  peculiar  elevation   of  mood 
on  board  that  was  not  at  all  common  among  us.     Every 
man's  inmost  thoughts  were  with  those  at  home;  but  his 
comrades  were  not  to  know  that,  and  so  there  was  more 
joking  and  laughing  than  usual.    All  the  lamps  and  lights 
we  had  on  board  were  lit,  and  every  corner  of  the  saloon 
and  cabins  was  brilliantly  illuminated.     The  bill  of  fare 
for   the   day,   of   course,  surpassed  any  previous   one- 
food  was  the  chief  thing  we  had  to  hold  festival  with. 
The    dinner   was  a   very   fine   one   indeed ;   so  was  the 
supper,  and    after  it  i^iles   of  Christmas  cakes  came  on 
the  table;  Juell  had  been  busy  making  them  for  several 
weeks.     After  that  we  enjoyed  a  glass  of  toddy  and  a 
cigar,  smoking  in  the  saloon  being,  of  course,  allowed. 
The    culminating  point  of  the   festival  came  when  two 
boxes  with  Christmas  presents  were  produced.     The  one 
was  from  Hansen's  mother,  the  other  from  his  fiancee— 
Miss    Fougner.      It  was  touching  to  see   the  childlike 
pleasure  with  which  each  man  received  his  crift_it  mio-ht 
be  a  pipe   or  a   knife  or  some    little  knickknack— he 
felt  that  it  was  like  a  message  from  home.     After  this 
there  were  speeches ;  and  then  the  Framsjaa  appeared, 
with    an    illustrated    supplement,    selections  from  which 
are  given.     The  drawings  are  the  work  of  the  famous 
Arctic  draughtsman,  Huttetu.     Here  are  two  verses  from 
the  poem  for  the  day : 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 

"  When  tlio  ship's  path  is  stopped  by  fathom-thick  ice. 
And  winter's  white  covering  is  spread. 
When  we're  quite  given  up  to  the  power  of  the  stream, 
Oh  !  'tis  then  that  so  often  of  home  we  must  dream. 

"  We  wish  them  all  joy  at  this  sweet  Christmas-tide. 
Health  and  happiness  for  the  next  year, 
Ourselves  patience  to  wait;  'twill  bring  us  to  the  Pole, 
And  home  the  next  spring,  never  fear!" 


345 


e^ 


I. — PROMENADE    IN    TIMES    OF    PEACE    WITH    SVEKDRUp's 
PATENT    FOOT-GEAR 

^Ffom  the  "  Framsjua  ") 

There  were  many  more  poems,  among  others  one 
giving  some  account  of  the  principal  events  of  the  last 
weeks,  in  this  style : 

"  Bears  are  seen,  and  dogs  are  born, 

Cakes  are  baked,  both  small  and  large; 

Hcnriksen,  he  does  not  fall. 
Spite  of  bear's  most  violent  charge; 

Mogstad  witli  his  rifle  clicks, 

Jacobsen  with  long  lance  sticks," 


-£3£;«^j«SK;*,.UK.,.«  .*--_-.,: 


1    ■■' 

1, 

■    *i 

I 


' '  I' 

si' 


346 


F^lRTHEST  NORTH 


and  so  on.     There  was  a  long  ditty  on  the  subject  of  the 
*'  Dog  Rape  on  board  the  Fram :  " 

"I^p  and  down  on  a  night  so  cold. 
Kvirrc  virre  vip,  bom,  bom, 
Walk  l)ar[)0()ncr  and  UcnnL-lman  bold, 
Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom  ; 


II. — "FRAM      FELLOWS   ON    THE    WAK-I'ATII  :    DIFFFRKNCF    HE- 
TWEEN    THE    SVERURUl'    AND    THE    LAl'l'    FOOT-GEAR 

{Front  the  "  Fram^/iia") 


Our  kennelman  swings,  I  need  hardly  tell, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom, 
The  long,  long  lash  you  know  so  well, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom; 
Our  liarpooner,  lie  is  a  man  of  light, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom, 
A  burning  lantern  he  grasjjs  tight, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom, 
Tiicy  as  they  walk  the  time  beguile, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom. 
With  tales  of  bears  and  ail  their  wile, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom. 

"  Now  suddenly  a  bear  they  see, 
Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  botn. 
Before  whom  all  tlie  dogs  do  flee, 
Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom,  bom  ; 


TItIi   WINTER  NIGHT  347 

Kcnnelman,  like  a  deer,  runs  fast, 

Kvirrt-  virro  vip,  bom,  bom, 
llarpooiUT  slow  coinos  in  tlu'  last, 

Kvirre  virre  vip,  bom.  bom," 

and  s(i  on. 

Aniont;  the  amiounccmcnts  are — 

"Instruction  in   renrinj,'. 

"  In  consequence  of  the  inflefinitc  postponement  ol  our  departure,  a 
limited  number  of  pupils  can  be  received  for  instruction  in  botli  fencu'itr 
and  boxinj,'.  ° 

"  Majakoft, 

"Teacher  of  Hoxin;,', 

"Next  door  to  the  Doctor's.'" 


III.— "  FK.A.M      FELLOWS    STILL    ON    THE    WAR-PATH 

(From  the  "  Framsjaa  ") 

Again — 

"  On  account  of  want  of  storage  room,  a  quantity  of  old  clothes 


are  at 


'.^^ir 


i 


II 


348 


FARTJIEST  NORIJI 


(, 


I 

E  S 

Iff  ^ 


1 


I 


-1      'i: 


present  for  sale, by  private  arrangement,  at  No.  2  Piinip  Lane.*'  Kepeated 
recjnests  to  remove  them  liavint;-  l)een  of  no  ell'ect,  I  am  ol)lijr(.(l  to  dispo.sc 
of  them  in  tliis  way.  The  clotlies  are  (piite  fresli,  liavintj  been  in  salt  for  a 
long  time." 

After  the  reading  of  the  ne\vs])aper  came  instrumental 
music  and  singing,  and  it  was  far  on  in  the  night  before 
we  sought  our  berths. 

"Monday,  December  25th  (Christmas  -  day).  Ther- 
mometer at  36^  Fahr.  below  zero  (-38^  C).  I  took  a  walk 
south  in  the  beautiful  light  of  the  full  moon.  At  a  newly 
made  crack  I  went  through  the  fresh  ice  with  one  leo-  and 
got  soaked;  but  such  an  accident  matters  very  little  in 
this  frost.  The  water  immediately  stii'fens  into  ice;  it  does 
not  make  one  very  cold,  and  one  feels  dry  again  soon. 

"  They  will  be  thinking  much  of  us  just  now  at  home 
and  giving  many  a  pitying  sigh  over  all  the  hardships 
we  are  enduring  in  this  cold,  cheerless,  icy  region.  Hut 
I  am  afraid  their  compassion  would  cool  if  they  could 
look  in  upon  us,  hear  the  merriment  that  goes  on,  and 
see  all  our  comforts  and  good  cheer.  They  can  hardly 
be  better  off  at  home.  I  my.self  have  certainly  never 
lived  a  more  sybaritic  life,  and  have  never  had  more 
reason  to  fear  the  consequences  it  brings  in  its  train. 
Just  listen  to  to-day's  dinner  menu: 

1.  ().\-lail  soup ; 

2.  Fish-pn(l(lins,^  with  potatoes  and  melted  butter; 

3.  Roast  of  reindeer,  with  pease,  French  beans,  potatoes, 

and  craiiberrv  jam  ; 

*  This  was  the  nickname  of  the  starboard  four-t)criIi  cabin. 


t.. 


TJIE   WINTER   NIGHT  349 

4.  Cloudberries  witli  cream  ; 

5.  Cake  and  marchpane  (a  welcome  present  from  the  baker 

to  tile  expedilioii  ;  we  blessed  that  man). 


And  along  with  all  this  that  Ringnes  bock-becr  which 
is  so  famous  in  our  part  of  the  world.  Was  this  the  sort 
of  dinner  for  men  who  are  to  be  hardened  against  the 
horrors  of  the  Arctic  night  ? 

"  Every  one  had  eaten  so  much  that  supper  had  to  be 
skipped  altogether.  Later  in  the  evening  coffee  was 
served,  with  pineapple  i^rcserve,  gingerbread,  vanilla- 
cakes,  cocoanut  macaroons,  and  various  other  cakes,  all 
the  work  of  our  excellent  cook,  Juell;  and  we  ended  up 
with  figs,  almonds,  and  raisins. 

"  Now  let  us  have  the  breakfast,  just  to  complete  the 
day :  coffee,  freshly  baked  bread,  beautiful  Danish  butter, 
Christmas  cake,  Cheddar  cheese,  clove-cheese,  tongue, 
corned-beef,  and  marmalade.  And  if  any  one  thinks  that 
this  is  a  specially  good  breakfast  because  it  is  Christ- 
mas-da}' he  is  wrong.  It  is  just  what  we  have  always, 
with  the  addition  of  the  cake,  which  is  not  part  of  the 
every-day  diet. 

"  Add  now  to  this  good  cheer  our  strongly  built,  safe 
house,  our  comfortable  saloon,  lighted  up  with  the  large 
petroleum  lamp  and  several  smaller  ones  (when  we  have 
no  electric  light),  constant  gayety,  card-playing,  and  books 
in  any  quantity,  with  or  without  illustrations,  good  and 
entertaining  reading,  and  then  a  good,  sound  sleep — 
what  more  could  one  wish .? 


il 


J 


350 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


n,^ 


\  \ 


"...  But,  O  Arctic  night,  thou  art  Hke  a  woman, 
a  marvellously  lovely  woman.  Thine  are  the  noble,  pure 
outlines  of  antique  beauty,  with  its  marble  coldness. 
On  thy  high,  smooth  brow,  clear  with  the  clearness  of 
ether,  is  no  trace  of  compassion  for  the  little  sufferings 
of  despised  humanity;  on  thy  pale,  beautiful  cheek  no 
blush  of  feeling.  Among  thy  raven  locks,  waving  out 
into  space,  the  hoar-frost  has  sprinkled  its  Dlitterino- 
crystals.  The  proud  lines  of  thy  throat,  thy  shoulders' 
curves,  are  so  noble,  but,  oh !  unbendingly  cold ;  thy 
bosom's  white  chastity  is  feelingless  as  the  snowy  ice. 
Chaste,  beautiful,  and  proud,  thou  floatest  through  ether 
over  the  frozen  sea,  thy  glittering  garment,  woven  of 
aurora  beams,  covering  tl  j  vault  of  heaven.  But  some- 
times I  divine  a  twitch  of  pain  on  thy  lips,  and  endless 
sadness  dreams  in  thy  dark  eye. 

"  Oh,  how  tired  I  am  of  thy  cold  beauty !  I  lono-  to 
return  to  life.  Let  me  get  home  again,  as  conqueror  or 
as  beggar;  what  does  that  matter,?  But  let  me  o-et 
home  to  begin  life  anew.  The  years  are  passing  here, 
and  what  do  they  bring,?  Nothing  but  dust,  dry  dust, 
which  the  first  wind  blows  away;  new  dust  comes  in  its 
place,  and  the  next  wind  takes  it  too.  Truth }  Why 
should  we  always  make  so  much  of  truth  ,?  Life  is  more 
than  cold  truth,  and  we  live  but  once. 

"  Tuesday,  December  26th.  36°  Fahr.  below  zero 
( -  38°  C),  This  (the  same  as  yesterday's)  is  the  greatest 
cold  we  have  had  yet.     I  went  a  long  way  north  to-day ; 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


351 


found  a  big  lane  covered  with  newly  frozen  ice,  with  a 
quite  open  piece  of  water  in  the  middle.  The  ice  rocked 
up  and  down  under  my  steps,  sending  waves  out  into 
the  open  pool.     It  was  strange   once   more   to  see  the 


'n-    WAS     STRANGE     ONCE    MORE    TO     SEE     THE     MOONLIGHT 
PLAYING    ON    THE  COAL-BLACK    WAVES  " 

(From  a  I'hotogra/tli) 


tl 


"Jl 


<•    ii 


■I 


i  !        :) 

Ik 


!1 

ft 


K    I,. 

1; 


!  I 


4, 


Fi 
101 


'i 


352 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


moonlight  playing  on  the  coal-black  waves,  and  awak- 
ened a  remembrance  of  well-known  scenes.  I  followed 
this  lane  far  to  the  north,  seemed  to  see  the  outlines  of 
high  land  in  the  hazy  light  below  the  moon,  and  went  on 
and  on;  but  in  the  end  it  turned  out  to  be  a  bank  of 
clouds  behind  the  moonlit  vapor  rising  from  the  open 
water.  I  saw  from  a  high  hummock  that  this  opening 
stretched  north  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

"The  same  luxurious  living  as  yesterday;  a  dinner 
of  four  courses.  Shooting  with  darts  at  a  target  for 
cigarettes  has  been  the  great  excitement  of  the  day. 
Darts  and  target  are  Johansen's  Christmas  present  from 
Miss  Fougner. 

"Wednesday,  December  27th.  Wind  began  to  blow 
this  afternoon,  19'.  to  26  feet  per  second;  the  windmill 
IS  going  again,  and  the  arc  lamp  once  more  brightens 
our  lives.  Johansen  gave  notice  of  'a  shooting- match 
by  electric  light,  with  free  concert,'  for  the  evening.  It 
was  a  pity  for  himself  that  he  did,  for  he  and  several 
others  were  shot  into  bankruptcy  and  beggary,  and  had 
to  retire  one  after  the  other,  leaving  their  cigarettes 
behind  them." 

"  Thursday,  December  28th.  A  little  forward  of  the 
Fram  there  is  a  broad,  newly  formed  open  lane,  in 
which  she  could  lie  crossways.  It  was  covered  with  last 
night's  ice,  in  which  slight  pressure  began  to-day.  It  is 
strange  how  indifferent  we  are  to  this  pressure,  which 
was  the  cause  of   such   great   trouble    to    many  earlier 


- 


i  ■     i 


\h 


I 

> 

'1 


I .' li i\  )  1 


^I'L'ii 


moon 


'I   .".I  M  V.I  '     ■ 

■"•'-  '  'ii-    icir  to  the  nv,ilj) 

Hii^h  land  in  the  haxy  iiglu  below  the 

•iiifl  on;   but   in  i!k:  en.' 

clouds   bcliind    ihf   moonlit  vapor     : 

water.     I  saw  fro  , 

stretched  north  as  far  e,,   •  ould  rench. 

"The  same  hixurioiis  living  as  yt  4,Mrl,,  • 
of  four  com  Shooting  with    dar; ..    ,.;    ,; 

cigarettes^  hns    beon    the    great  excitem< -.i     *: 

Miss   Fouuncr. 

"  Wcdi-oi:,.    r  ,,  , 


i  toliowcd 
•utlines    >: 


thr. 


n-     ' 


i.'ii^L;i-':    lur 
■ni 


windmill 


our  lucx     joiianscn   j^d\ 


wa  ■ 


inmse!.' 
othos  were  sijot  into  bankruijt. 

behind  th^,'  n   ' 


/■"'vrw    thv 


December  ^ 


hicli 


nii^lit  - 
straiu  . 


ui!u\    in 


.;.-5burc  ijcuan   io-da\ 


sure,  which 


lOubU 


a 
m 

Ci 

o 
r 

..   t» 

IB  ^a 
-  to 
I    t 

13 


►^3 


It 

Q 


:l:iV. 


[■■W.*«^m»Mr»W 


I' 

M^ 

pHt 

1  '■ 

¥' 

^   1: 

1 

1 

i 


■■ 

r  1 

k 

^H 

I  1 

M 

■ 

w 

1 

i: 

!:^ 

THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


353 


Arctic  navigators.      We  have  not  so  much  as  made  the 
smallest  preparation  for  possible  accident,  no  provisions 
on  deck,  no  tent,  no  clothing  in   readiness.      This  may 
seem  like   recklessness,  but   in  reality  there  is  not   the 
slightest  prospect  of  the  pressure  harming  us;  we  know 
now  what  the  Fram  can  bear.     Proud  of  our  splendid, 
strong  ship,  we  stand  on  her  deck  watching  the  ice  come' 
hurtling   against   her   sides,  being  crushed  and   broken 
there  and  having  to  go  down  below  her,  while  new  ice- 
masses  tumble  upon  her  out  of   the  dark,  to  meet  the 
same  fate.     Here  and  there,  amid  deafening  noise,  some 
great   mass    rises    up  and    launches   itself  threateningly 
upon    the   bulwarks,  only  to  sink  down  suddenly,  drag- 
ged  the  same  way  as  the  others.     But  at  times  when 
one  hears  the  roaring  of   tremendous   pressure   in   the 
night,  as  a  rule  so  deathly  still,  one  cannot  but  call   to 
mind  the  disasters  that   this   uncontrollable  power   has 
wrought. 

"  I  am  reading  the  story  of  Kane's  expedition  just 
now.  Unfortunate  man,  his  preparations  were  misera- 
bly inadequate ;  it  seems  to  me  to  have  been  a  reckless, 
unjustifiable  proceeding  to  set  out  with  such  equip- 
ments. Almost  all  the  dogs  died  of  bad  food ;  all  the 
men  had  scurvy  from  the  same  cause,  with  snow-blind- 
ness, frost-bites,  and  all  kinds  of  miseries.  He  learned  a 
wholesome  awe  of  the  Arctic  night,  and  one  can  hardly 
wonder  at   it.      He  writes  on  page  173:  'I  feel  that  we 

are  fighting  the  battle  of  life  at  disadvantage,  and  that 
23 


H 


354 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


an  Arctic  day  and  an  Arctic  night  age  a  man  more 
rapidly  and  harshly  than  a  year  anywhere  else  in  this 
weary  world.'  In  another  place  he  writes  that  it  is 
impossible  for  civilized  men  not  to  suffer  in  such  circum- 
stances. These  were  sad  but  by  no  means  unique  ex- 
periences. An  English  Arctic  explorer  with  whom  I 
had  some  conversation  also  expressed  himself  very  dis- 
couragingly  on  the  subject  of  life  in  the  polar  regions, 
and  combated  my  cheerful  faith  in  the  possibility  of 
preventing  scurvy.  He  was  of  opinion  that  it  was 
inevitable,  and  that  no  expedition  yet  had  escaped  it, 
though  some  might  have  given  it  another  name :  rather 
a  humiliating  view  to  take  of  the  matter,  I  think.  But  I 
am  fortunately  in  a  position  to  maintain  that  it  is  not 
justified ;  and  I  wonder  if  they  would  not  both  change 
their  opinions  if  they  were  here.  For  my  own  part, 
I  can  say  that  the  Arctic  night  has  had  no  afn'ng, 
no  weakening,  influence  of  any  kind  upon  me;  I  '  eem, 
on  the  contrary,  to  grow  younger.  This  quiet,  regular 
life  suits  me  remarkably  well,  and  I  cannot  remember  a 
time  when  I  was  in  better  bodily  health  balance  than 
I  am  at  present.  I  differ  from  these  other  authorities  to 
the  extent  of  feeling  inclined  to  recommend  this  region 
as  an  excellent  sanatorium  in  cases  of  nervousness  and 
general  breakdown.     This  is  in  all  sincerity. 

"  I  am  almost  ashamed  of  the  life  we  lead,  with  none  of 
those  darkly  painted  sufferings  of  the  long  winter  night 
which    are  indispensable   to  a  properly  exciting  Arctic 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


355 


expedition.  We  shall  have  nothing  to  write  about  when 
we  get  home.  I  may  say  the  same  of  my  comrades  as  I 
have  said  for  myself;  they  all  look  healthy,  fat,  in  good 
condition;  none  of  the  traditional  pale,  hollow  faces; 
no  low  spirits— any  one  hearing  the  laughter  that  goes 
on    in    the   saloon,  '  the   fall  uf  greasy   cards,'  etc.    {see 


A    GAME    OF    HALMA 

Juell's  poem),  would  be  in  no  doubt  about  this.  But 
how,  indeed,  should  there  be  any  illness.?  With  the  best 
of  food  of  every  kind,  as  much  of  it  as  we  want,  and 
constant  variety,  so  that  even  the  most  fastidious  can- 
not  tire  of  it,  good  shelter,  good  clothing,  good  ventila- 
tion,  exercise  in  the  open  air  ad  libittim,  no  over- exer- 
tion in  the  way  of  work,  instructive  and  amusing  books 


^ 
\v 

'  ij 


■V 


i 


Bk 


1 


i!', 


'I 


356 


lAKTIIEST  NOKTJI 


of  every  kind,  relaxation  in  the  shape  of  cards,  chess, 
dominoes,  hahna,  music,  and  story-telling  —  how  should 
any  one  be  ill  ?  Every  now  and  then  I  hear  remarks 
expressive  of  perfect  satisfaction  with  the  life.  Truly 
the  whole  secret  lies  in  arranging  things  sensibly,  and 
especially  in  being  careful  about  the  food.  A  thing  that 
I  believe  has  a  good  effect  upon  us  is  this  living  to- 
gether in  the  one  saloon,  with  everything  in  common. 
So  far  as  I  know,  it  is  the  first  time  that  such  a  thing 
has  been  tried ;  but  it  is  quite  to  be  recommended.  I 
have  heard  some  of  the  men  complain  of  sleeplessness. 
This  is  generally  considered  to  be  one  inevitable  con- 
sequence of  the  Arctic  darkness.  As  far  as  I  am  per- 
sonally concerned,  I  can  say  that  I  have  felt  nothing  of 
it ;  I  sleep  soundly  at  night.  I  have  no  great  belief  in 
this  sleeplessness ;  but  then  I  do  not  take  an  after-dinner 
nap,  which  most  of  the  others  are  addicted  to ;  and  if 
they  sleep  for  several  hours  during  the  day  they  can 
hardly  expect  to  sleep  all  night  as  well.  '  One  must  be 
awake  part  of  one's  time,'  as  Sverdrup  said. 

"Sunday,  December  31st.  And  now  the  last  day  of 
the  year  has  come ;  it  has  been  a  long  year,  and  has 
brought  much  both  of  good  and  bad.  It  began  with 
good  by  bringing  little  Liv — such  a  new,  strange  hap- 
piness that  at  first  I  could  hardly  believe  in  it.  Hut 
hard,  unspeakably  hard,  was  the  parting  that  came  later; 
no  year  has  brought  w(M-se  pain  than  that.  And  the 
time  since  has  been  one  great  longing. 


THR    WINTER   NIGHT  357 

"•Would'st  thou  be  free  from  care  and  pain. 
Thou  must  love  nothing  here  on  earth." 

"  But  longing— oh,  there  arc  worse  things  than  that ! 
All  that  is  good  and  beautiful  may  flourish  in  its  shelter. 
Everything  would  be  over  if  we  cease  to  lonc"- 

"But  you  fell  of¥  at  the  end,  old  year;  you  hardly 
carried  us  so  far  as  you  ought.  Still  you  might  have 
done  worse ;  you  have  not  been  so  bad,  after  all.  Have 
not  all  hopes  and  calculations  been  justified,  and  are  we 
not  drifting  away  just  where  I  wished  and  hoped  we 
should  be  >  Only  one  thing  has  been  amiss—  I  did  not 
think  the  drift  would  have  gone  in  quite  so  many  zig- 
zags. 

"  One  could  not  have  a  more  beautiful  New-year's- 
eve.  The  aurora  borealis  is  burning  in  wonderful  colors 
and  bands  of  light  over  the  whole  sky,  but  particularly  in 
the  north.  Thousands  of  stars  sparkle  in  the  blue  fir- 
mament among  he  northern  lights.  On  every  side  the 
ice  stretches  endless  and  silent  into  the  night.  The 
rime-covered  rigging  of  the  Fram  stands  out  sharp  and 
dark  against  the  shining  sky. 

"The  newspaper  was  read  aloud;  only  verses  this 
time;  among  other  poems  the  following: 


'"TO    THI-:    NEW    YEAR. 

'"And  you,  my  boy,  must  give  yourself  trouble 
Of  your  old  father  to  be  the  double; 
Your  lineage,  honor,  and  fight  hard  to  merit 
Our  praise  for  the  habits  we  trust  you  inherit. 


358 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\i 


On  we  must  ^<~i  if  you  want  to  please  us; 

To  make  us  lie  still  is  the  way  to  tease  us. 

In  the  old  year  we  sailed  not  so  badly, 

Be  it  so  still,  or  you'll  hear  us  groan  sadly. 

When  the  time  comes  you  must  break  up  the  ice  for  us; 

When  the  time  comes  you  must  win  the  great  prize  for  us; 

We  fervently  hope,  having  reached  our  great  goal, 

To  eat  next  Christmas  dinner  beyond  the  North  i'oie.' 


% 


I     " 


"  During  the  evening  we  were  regaled  with  pineapple, 
figs,  cakes,  and  other  sweets,  and  about  midnight  Han- 
sen brought  in  toddy,  and  Nordahl  cigars  and  ciga- 
rettes. At  the  moment  of  the  passing  of  the  year  all 
stood  up  and  I  had  to  make  an  apology  for  a  speech 
— to  the  effect  that  the  old  year  had  been,  after  all,  a 
good  one,  and  I  hoped  the  new  would  not  be  worse; 
that  I  thanked  them  for  good  comradeship,  and  was 
sure  that  our  life  together  this  year  would  be  as  com- 
fortable and  pleasant  as  it  had  been  during  the  last. 
Then  they  sang  the  songs  that  had  been  written  for  the 
farewell  entertainments  given  to  us  at  Christiania  and  at 
Bergen : 

" '  Our  mother,  weep  not !  it  was  thou 

Gave  them  the  wish  to  wander ; 
To  leave  our  coasts  and  turn  their  prow 

Towards  night  and  perils  yonder. 
Thou  pointedst  to  the  open  sea, 

The  long  cape  was  thy  finger ; 
The  white  sail  wings  they  got  from  thee; 

Thou  canst  not  bid  them  linger! 

"'Yes,  they  are  thine,  O  mother  old  ! 

And  proud  thou  dost  embrace  them ; 
Thou  hear'st  of  dangers  manifold. 
But  know'st  thy  sons  can  face  them. 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 

And  tears  of  joy  thine  eyes  will  rain, 
Tile  day  the  Fram  comes  steering 

Up  fjord  again  to  music  strain, 
And  the  roar  of  thousands  cheering. 


359 


E.N. 


"  Then  I  read  aloud  our  last  greeting,  a  telegram  we 
received  at  Tromso  from  Moltke  Moe : 

"'Lucie  on  the  way, 
Sun  on  the  sea, 
Sun  on  your  minds, 
Help  from  the  winds  : 
May  the  packed  floes 
Part  and  unclose 
Where  the  ship  goes. 
Forward  her  progress  be, 
E'en  though  the  silent  sea. 

Then 
After  her  freeze  up  again. 

Strength  enough,  meat  enough, 

Hope  enough,  heat  enough  ; 

The  Fram  will  go  sure  enough  then 

To  the  Pole  and  so  back  to  the  dwellings  of  men. 

Luck  on  the  way 
To  thee  and  thy  band, 
And  welcome  back  to  the  fatherland  !' 

"  After  this  we  read  some  of  Vinje's  poems,  and  then 
sang  songs  from  the  Fransj'aa  and  others. 

"  It  seems  strange  that  we  should  have  seen  the  New 
Year  in  already,  and  that  it  will  not  begin  at  home  for 
eight  hours  yet.  It  is  almost  4  a.m.  now.  I  had  thought 
of  sitting  up  till  it  was  New  Year  in  Norway  too;  but 
no;  I  will  rather  go  to  bed  and  sleep,  and  dream  that 
I  am  at  home. 


i 


\M 


•I  'M 


360 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


"Monday,  January  ist,  1894.  The  year  began  well. 
I  was  awakened  by  Juell's  cheerful  voice  wishing  me  a 
Happy  New  Year.  He  had  come  to  give  me  a  cup  of 
coffee  in  bed — delicious  Turkish  coffee,  his  Christmas 
present  from  Miss  Fougner.  It  is  beautiful  clear  weath- 
er, with  the  thermometer  at  36°  below  zero  (  —  38°  C).  It 
almost  seems  to  me  as  if  the  twilight  in  the  south  were 
beginning  to  grow;  the  upper  edge  of  it  to-day  was  14° 
above  the  horizon. 

"  An  extra  good  dinner  at  6  p.m. 

1.  Tomato  soup. 

2.  Cod  roe  with  melted  butter  and  potatoes. 

3.  Roast  reindeer,  with  green  pease,  potatoes,  and  cranberry  jam. 

4.  Cloudberries  with  milk. 

Ringnes  beer. 


'f    11 

m 


'"  I  do  not  know  if  this  begins  to  give  any  impression 
of  great  sufferings  and  privations.  I  am  lying  in  my 
berth,  writing,  reading,  and  dreaming.  It  is  always  a 
curious  feeling  to  write  for  the  first  time  the  number  of 
a  New  Year.  Not  till  then  does  one  grasp  the  fact  that 
the  old  year  is  a  thing  of  the  past ;  the  new  one  is  here, 
and  one  must  prepare  to  wrestle  with  it.  Who  knows 
what  it  is  bringing.'*  Good  and  evil,  no  doubt,  but  most 
good.  It  cannot  but  be  that  we  shall  go  forward  towards 
our  goal  and  towards  home. 

" '  Life  is  rich  and  wreathed  in  roses ; 
Gaze  forth  into  a  world  of  dreams.' 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


361 


"  Yes ;  lead  us,  if  not  to  our  goal— that  would  be  too 
early— at  least  towards  it;   strengthen   our  hope;    but 
perhaps  — no,  no  perhaps.     These  brave  boys   of  mine 
deserve  to  succeed.    There  is  not  a  doubt  in  their  minds. 
Each  one's  whole  heart  is  set  on  getting  north.     I  can 
read  it  in  their  faces  — it  shines  from  every  eye.     There 
is  one  sigh  of  disappointment  every  time  that  we  hear 
that  we  are  drifting  south,  one  sigh  of  relief  when  we 
begin  to  go  north  again,  to  the  unknown.     And  it  is  in 
me  and  my  theories  that  they  trust.     What  if  I  have 
been   mistaken,  and    am   leading   them   astray.?     Oh,   I 
could  not  help  myself !     We  are  the  tools  of  powers  be- 
yond us.     We  are  born  under  lucky  or  unlucky  stars. 
Till  now  I  have  lived  under  a  lucky  one ;  is  its  light  to 
be  darkened  ?      I  am  superstitious,  no  doubt,  but  I  be- 
lieve in  my  sfar.     And  Norway,  our  fatherland,  what  has 
the  old  year  brought  to  thee,  and  what  is  the  new  year 
bringing.?     Vain   to   think   of  that;    but   I   look  at  our 
pictures,  the  gifts  of  Werenskjold,  Munthe,  Kitty  Kiel- 
land,  Skredsvig,  Hansteen,  Eilif  Pettersen,  and   I   am  at 
home,  at  home ! 

"Wednesday,  January  3d.  The  old  lane  about  7300 
feet  ahead  of  the  Fram  has  opened  again— a  large  rift, 
with  a  coating  of  ice  and  rime.  As  soon  as  ice  is  formed 
in  this  temperature  .the  frost  forces  it  to  throw  out  its 
salinity  on  the  surface,  and  this  itself  freezes  into  pretty 
salt  flowers,  resembling  hoar-frost.  The  temperature  is 
between  t,^°  Fahr.  and  40°  Fahr.  below  zero  (-39°  C.  to 


i. 


f  ;'y 


:| 


'til 


■I 

'I 


362 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


-40°  C),  but  when  there  is  added  to  this  a  biting  wind, 
with  a  velocity  of  from  9  to  16  feet  per  second,  it  must 
be  allowed  that  it  is  rather  '  cool  in  the  shade.' 

"Sverdrup  and  I  agreed  to-da}^  that  the  Christmas 
holidays  had  better  stop  now  and  the  usual  life  begin 
again ;  too  much  idleness  is  not  good  for  us.  It  cannot 
be  called  a  full  nor  a  comi^licated  one,  this  life  of  ours; 
but  it  has  one  advantage,  that  we  are  all  satisfied  with  it, 
such  as  it  is. 

"  They  are  still  working  in  the  engine-room,  but  ex- 
pect to  finish  what  they  are  doing  to  the  boiler  in  a  few 
days,  and  then  all  is  done  there.  Then  the  turning- 
lathe  is  to  be  set  up  in  the  hold,  and  tools  for  it  have 
to  be  forged.  There  is  often  a  job  for  Smith  Lars, 
and  then  the  forge  flames  forward  by  the  forecastle, 
and  sends  its  red  glow  on  to  the  rime-covered  rigging, 
and  farther  up  into  the  starry  night,  and  out  over  the 
waste  of  ice.  From  far  off  you  can  hear  the  strokes 
on  the  anvil  ringing  through  the  silent  night.  When 
one  is  wandering  alone  out  there,  and  the  well-known 
sound  reaches  one's  ear,  and  one  sees  the  red  glow, 
memory  recalls  less  solitary  scenes.  While  one  stands 
gazing,  perhaps  a  light  moves  along  the  deck  and 
slowly  up  the  rigging.  It  is  Johansen  on  his  way  up 
to  the  crow's-nest  to  read  the  temperature.  Blessing 
is  at  present  v  ngaged  in  counting  blood  corpuscles  again, 
and  estimating  amounts  of  haemoglobin.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  draws  blood  every  month  from  every  mother's 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


363 


son  of  us,  the  bloodthirsty  dog,  with  supreme  contempt  for 
all  the  outcry  against  vivisection.     Hansen  and  his  assist- 
ant take  observations.      The  meteorological  ones,  which 
are  taken  every  four  hours,  arc  Johansen's  special  depart- 
ment.    First  he  reads  the  thermometer,  hygrometer,  and 
thermograph  on  deck  (they  were  afterwards  kept  on  the 
ice);    next  the   barometer,  barograph,  and  thermometer 
in  the  saloon;    and   then   the   minimum  and  maximum 
thermometers  in  the  crow's-nest  (this  to  take  the  record 
of  the  temperature  of  a  higher  air  stratum).      Then  he 
goes  to  read  the  thermometers  that  are  kept  on  the  ice  to 
measure    the    radiations  from    its   surface,  and    perhaps 
down  to  the  hold,  too,  to  see  what   the  temperature  is 
there.      Every  second  day,  as  a  rule,  astronomical  obser- 
vations  are  taken,  <-'     '  cide  our  whereabouts  and  keep 
us  up  to  date  in  the  crab's  progress  we  are  making.     Tak- 
ing these  observations  with  the  thermometer  between  22° 
Fahr.  and  40°  Fahr.  below  zero  (-30°  C.  to  -40"  C.)  is  a 
very  mixed  pleasure.      Standino-  still  on  deck  workincr 
with  these  fine  instruments,  and  screwing  in  metal  screws 
with  one's  bare  fingers,  is  not  altogether  agreeable.     It 
often  happens  that  they  must  siap  their  arms  about  and 
tramp  hard  up  and  down  the  deck.  They  are  received  with 
shouts  of  laughter  when  tiiey  reappear  in  the  saloon  after 
the  performance  of  one  of  these  thundering  nigger  break- 
downs above  our  heads  that  has  shaken  the  whole  ship. 
We  ask  innocently  if  it   was    cold   on  deck.     '  Not  the 
very  least,'  says   Hansen;  'just  a  pleasant  tempera^,  ■.:.' 


^V  '    i 


364 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


'  And  your  feet  are  not  cold  now  ? '  '  No,  I  can't  say  that 
they  are,  but  one's  fingers  get  a  little  cold  sometimes.' 
Two  of  his  had  just  been  frost-bitten  ;  but  he  refused  to 
wear  one  of  the  wolf-skin  suits  which  I  had  given  out  for 
the  meteorologists.  '  It  is  too  mild  for  that  yet ;  and  it 
does  not  do  to  pamper  one's  self,'  he  says. 

"  I  believe  it  was  when  the  thermometer  stood  at  40° 
below  zero  that  Hansen  rushed  up  on  deck  one  morning 
in  shirt  and  drawers  to  take  an  observation.  He  said  he 
had  not  time  to  get  on  his  clothes. 

"  At  certain  intervals  they  also  take  magnetic  observa- 
tions on  the  ice,  these  two.  I  watch  them  standing  there 
with  lanterns,  bending  over  their  instruments ;  and  pres- 
ently I  see  them  tearing  away  over  the  floe,  their  arms 
swinsins  like  the  sails  of  the  windmill  when  there  is  a 
wind  pressure  of  32  to  39  feet — but  '  it  is  not  at  all  cold.' 
I  cannot  help  thinking  of  what  I  have  read  in  the  ac- 
counts of  some  of  the  earlier  expeditions — namely,  that 
at  such  temperatures  it  was  impossible  to  take  observa- 
tions. It  would  take  worse  than  this  to  make  these  fel- 
lows ffive  in.  In  the  intervals  between  their  observations 
and  calculations  I  hear  a  murmuring  in  Hansen's  cabin, 
which  means  that  the  principal  is  at  present  occupied  in 
inflicting  a  dose  of  astronomy  or  navigation  upon  his 
assistant. 

"  It  is  something  dreadful  the  amount  of  card-playing 
that  goes  on  in  the  saloon  in  the  evenings  now ;  the 
gaming  demon  is  abroad  far  into  the  night ;   even   our 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


365 


our 


model  Sverdrup  is  possessed  by  him.  They  have  not 
yet  played  the  shirts  off  their  backs,  but  some  of  them 
have  literally  played  the  bread  out  of  their  mouths  ;  two 
poor  wretches  have  had  to  go  without  fresh  bread  for  a 
whole  month  because  they  had  forfeited  their  rations  of 
it  to  their  opponents.  But,  all  the  same,  this  card-playing 
is  a  healthy,  harmless  recreation,  giving  occasion  for  much 
laughter,  fun,  and  pleasure. 

"An  Irish  proverb  says,  '  Be  happy;   and  if  you  can- 
not be  happy,  be  careless ;  and  if  you  cannot  be  careless, 
be  as  careless  as  you  can.'      This  is  good  philosophy, 
which — no,  what   need    of  proverbs    here,   where  life  is 
happy!     It  was  in  all  sincerity  that  Amundsen  burst  out 
yesterday  with,  '  Yes,  isn't  it  just  as  I  say,  that  we  are  the 
luckiest  men  on  earth  that  can  live  up  here  where  we  have 
no  cares,  get  everything  given   us   without  needing  to 
trouble  about  it,  and  are  well  off  in  every  possible  way  V 
Hansen  agreed  that  it  certainly  was  a  life  without  care. 
Juell  said  much  the  same  a  little  ago ;  what  seems  to  please 
him  most  is  that  there  are  no  summonses  here,  no  cred- 
itors, no  bills.     And  I  ?     Yes,  I  am  happy  too.     It  is  an 
easy  life ;  nothing  that  weighs  heavy  on  one,  no  letters, 
no  newspapers,  nothing  disturbing;   just  that  monastic, 
out-of-the-world  existence  that  was  my  dream  when  I  was 
younger  and  yearned  for  quietness  in  which  to  give  my- 
self up  to  my  studies.     Longing,  even  when  it  is  strong 
and  sad,  is  not  unhappiness.     A  man  has  truly  no  right 
to  be  anything  but  happy  when  fate  permits  him  to  fol- 


li  v^'- 


''!■ 


[If 


Mir 


^ 


1 


366 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


low  up  his  ideals,  exempting  him  from  the  wearing  strain 
of  every-day  cares,  that  he  may  with  clearer  vision  strive 
towards  a  lofty  goal. 

"'Where  there  is  work,  success  will  follow,'  said  a 
poet  of  the  land  of  work.  I  am  working  as  hard  as  I 
can,  so  I  suppose  success  will  pay  me  a  visit  by-and-by. 
I  am  lying  on  the  sofa,  reading  about  Kane's  misfortunes, 
drinking  beer,  smoking  cigarettes.  Truth  obliges  me  to 
confess  that  I  have  become  addicted  to  the  vice  I  con- 
demn so  strongly — but  flesh  is  grass;  so  I  blow  the 
smoke  clouds  into  the  air  and  dream  sweet  dreams.  It 
is  hard  work,  but  I  must  do  the  best  I  can. 

"  Thursday,  January  4th.  It  seems  as  if  the  twilight 
were  increasing  quite  perceptibly  now,  but  this  is  very 
possibly  only  imagination.  I  am  in  good  spirits  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  we  are  drifting  south  again.  After  all, 
what  does  it  matter?  Perhaps  the  gain  to  science  will 
be  as  great,  and,  after  all,  I  suppose  this  desire  to  reach 
the  North  Pole  is  only  a  piece  of  vanity.  I  have  now  a 
very  good  idea  of  what  it  must  be  like  up  there.  ('  I  like 
that !'  say  you.)  Our  deep  water  here  is  connected  with, 
is  a  part  of,  the  deep  waiter  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean — of 
this  there  can  be  no  doubt.  And  have  not  I  found 
that  things  go  exactly  as  I  calculated  they  would  when- 
e\'er  we  get  a  favorable  wind  .^^  Have  not  many  be- 
fore us  had  to  wait  for  wind  1  And  as  to  vanity — 
that  is  a  child's  disease,  got  over  long  ago.  All  calcu- 
lations, with    but    one    exception,  have    proved    correct. 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


1^7 


We  made  our  way  along  the  coast  of  Asia,  which  many 
prophesied  we  should  have  great  difficulty  in  doing.  We 
were  able  to  sail  farther  north  than  I  had  dared  to  hope 
for  in  my  boldest  moments,  and  in  just  the  longitude  I 
wished.  We  are  closed  in  by  the  ice,  also  as  I  wished. 
The  Fram  has  borne  the  ice -pressure  splendidly,  and 
allows  herself  to  be  lifted  by  it  without  so  much  as 
creaking,  in  spite  of  being  m.ore  heavily  loaded  with 
coal,  and  drawing  more  water  than  we  reckoned  on  when 
we  made  our  calculations ;  and  this  after  her  certain  de- 
struction and  ours  was  prophesied  by  those  most  ex- 
perienced in  such  matters.  I  have  not  found  the  ice 
higher  nor  heavier  than  I  expected  it  to  be;  and  the 
comfort,  warmth,  and  good  ventilation  on  board  are  far 
beyond  my  expectations.  Nothing  is  wanting  in  our 
equipment,  and  the  food  is  quite  exceptionally  good.  As 
Blessing  and  I  agreed  a  few  days  ago,  it  is  as  good  as  at 
home;  there  is  not  a  thing  we  long  for;  not  even  the 
thought  of  a  beefsteak  a  la  Chateaubriand,  or  a  pork 
cutlet  with  mushrooms  and  a  bottle  of  Burgundy,  can 
make  our  mouths  water;  we  simply  don't  care  about 
such  things.  The  preparations  for  the  expedition  cost  me 
several  years  of  precious  life ;  but  now  I  do  not  grudge 
them:  my  object  is  attained.  On  the  drifting  ice  we  live 
a  winter  life,  not  only  in  every  respect  better  than  that 
of  previous  expeditions,  but  actually  as  if  we  had  brought 
a  bit  of  Norway,  of  Europe,  with  us.  We  are  as  well 
off  as  if  we  were  at  home.     All  together  in  one  saloon. 


r'! 


i 


1    i: 


.i. 


I       I 


368 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


with  everythincj  in  common,  we  are  a  little  part  of  the 
fatherland,  and  daily  we  draw  closer  and  closer  togethei. 
In  one  point  only  have  my  calculations  proved  incor- 
rect, but  unfortunately  in  one  of  the  most  important. 
I  presupposed  a  shallow  Polar  Sea,  the  geatest  depth 
known  in  these  regions  \\\^  till  no\,  being  80  fathoms, 
found  by  the  Jeannctte.  I  reasoned  that  all  currents 
would  have  a  strong  influence  in  the  shallow  Polar 
Sea,  and  that  on  the  .Asiatic  side  the  current  of  the 
Siberian  rivers  would  be  strong  enough  to  drive  the 
ice  a  good  way  north.  But  here  I  already  find  a  depth 
which  we  cannot  measure  with  all  our  line,  a  depth  of 
certainly  1000  fathoms,  and  possibly  double  that.  This 
at  once  upsets  all  faith  in  the  operation  of  a  current ; 
we  find  either  none,  or  an  extremely  slight  one;  my 
only  trust  now  is  in  the  winds.  Columbus  discovered 
America  by  means  of  a  mistaken  calculation,  and  even 
that  not  his  own ;  heaven  only  knows  where  my  mistake 
will  lead  us.  Only  I  repeat  once  more  —  the  Siberian 
driftwood  on  the  coast  of  Greenland  cannot  lie,  and  the 
way  it  went  we  must  go. 

"  Monday,  January  8th.  Little  Liv  is  a  year  old  to- 
day ;  it  will  be  a  fete  day  at  home.  As  I  was  lying  on 
the  sofa  reading  after  dinner,  Peter  put  his  head  in  at 
the  door  and  asked  me  to  come  up  and  look  at  a 
^transe  star  which  had  just  shown  itself  above  the  ho- 
rizon,  shining  like  a  beacon  flame.  I  got  quite  a  start 
when  I  came  on  deck  and  saw  a  strong  red  light  just 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


369 


above  the  cdirc  of  the  ice  in  the  south.  It  twinkled 
and  chancred  color;  it  looked  just  as  if  some  one  were 
coming  carryinpr  a  lantern  over  the  ice;  I  actually  be- 
lieve that  for  a  moment  I  so  far  forgot  our  surround- 
ings as  to  think  tnat  it  really  was  some  person  ap- 
proaching from  the  south.  It  was  Venus,  which  we  see 
to-day  for  the  first  time,  as  it  has  till  now  been  beneath 
the  horizon.  It  is  beautiful  with  its  red  light.  Curious 
that  it  should  happen  to  come  to-day.  It  must  be  Liv's 
star,  as  Jupiter  is  the  home  star.  And  Liv's  birthday 
is  a  lucky  day  — we  are  on  our  way  north  again.  Ac 
cording  to  observations  we  are  certainly  north  of  79° 
north  latitude.  On  the  home  day,  September  6th,  the 
favorable  wind  began  to  blow  that  carried  us  ak^ng  the 
coast  of  Asia;  perhaps  Liv's  day  has  brought  us  into  a 
good  current,  and  we  are  making  the  real  start  for  the 
north  under  her  star. 

"Friday,  January  12th.  There  was  pressure  about 
10  o'clock  this  morning  in  the  opening  forward,  but  J 
could  see  no  movement  when  I  was  there  a  little  later. 
I  followed  the  opening  some  way  to  the  north.  It  is 
pretty  cold  work  walking  with  the  thermometer  at  40^ 
Fahr.  below  zero,  and  the  wind  blowing  with  a  velocity  of 
16  feet  per  second  straight  in  your  face.  But  now  we 
are  certainly  drifting  fast  to  the  north  under  Liv's  star. 
After  all,  it  is  not  quite  indifferent  to  me  whether  we 
are  going  north  or  south.  "When  the  drift  is  northward 
new  life  seems  to  come  into   me,  and  hope,  the  ever- 


t  1' 


\ 


'  M 


HI 


370 


FAKTllKST  NORTH 


young,  si)rint;s  fresh  and  green  from  under  the  winter 
snow.  I  see  the  way  open  before  me,  and  I  see  the 
home-coming  in  the  distance  —  too  great  happiness  to 
believe  in. 

"Sunday,  January  14th.  Sunday  again.  The  time 
is  passing  almost  quickly,  and  there  is  more  light  every 
day.  There  was  great  excitement  to-day  when  yester- 
day  evening's  observations  were  being  calculated.  All 
guessed  that  we  had  come  a  long  way  north  again. 
Several  thought  to  79°  iS'  or  20'.  Others,  I  believe,  in- 
sisted on  So".  The  calculation  places  us  in  79°  19'  north 
latitude,  137'^  31'  east  longitude.  A  good  step  onward. 
Yesterday  the  ice  was  quiet,  but  this  morning  there  was 
considerable  pressure  in  several  places.  Goodness 
knows  what  is  causing  it  just  now;  it  is  a  whole  week 
after  new  moon.  I  took  a  long  walk  to  the  southwest, 
and  sot  ris:ht  in  among  it.  Packing  began  where  I 
stood,  with  roars  and  thunders  below  me  and  on  every 
side.  I  jumped,  and  ran  like  a  hare,  as  if  I  had  never 
heard  such  a  thing  before ;  it  came  so  unexpectedly. 
The  ice  was  curiously  flat  there  to  the  south ;  the  farther 
I  went  the  flatter  it  grew,  with  excellent  sledging  surface. 
Over  such  ice  one  could  drive  many  miles  a  day. 

"  Monday,  January  15th.  There  was  pressure  forward 
both  this  morning  and  towards  noon,  but  we  heard  the 
loudest  sounds  from  the  north.  Sverdrup,  Mogstad, 
and  Peter  went  in  that  direction  and  were  stopped  by 
a  large,  open   channel.     Peter  and   I  afterwards  walked 


THE   WHITER  NIGHT 


371 


a  long  distance  N.N.H.,  past  a  large  opening  that  I  had 
skirted  before  Christmas.  It  was  shining,  flat  ice, 
spienchVl  for  sledging  on,  always  better  the  farther 
north  we  went.  The  longer  I  wander  about  and  see 
this  sort  of  ice  in  all  directions,  the  more  strongly  does 
a  plan  take  hold  of  me  that  I  have  long  had  in  my 
mind.  It  would  be  possible  to  get  with  dogs  and 
sledges  over  this  ice  to  the  Pole,  if  one  left  the  ship 
for  good  and  made  one's  way  back  in  the  direction  of 
Franz  Josef  Land,  Spitzbergen,  or  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland.  It  might  almost  be  called  an  easy  expe- 
dition for  two  men. 

"  Hut  it  would  be  too  hasty  to  go  off  in  spring.  We 
must  first  see  what  kind  of  drift  the  summer  brin«Ts 
And  as  I  think  over  it,  I  feel  doubtful  if  it  would  be 
right  to  go  off  and  leave  the  others.  Imagine  if  I 
came  home  and  they  did  not !  Yet  it  was  to  explore 
the  unknown  polar  regions  that  I  came;  it  was  for  that 
the  Norwegian  people  gave  their  money;  and  surely 
my  first  duty  is  to  do  that  if  I  can.  I  must  give  the 
drift  plan  a  longer  trial  yet;  but  if  it  takes  us  in  a 
wrong  direction,  then  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  try 
the  other,  come  what  may. 

"Tuesday,  January  i6th.  The  ice  is  quiet  to-day. 
Does  longing  stupefy  one,  or  does  it  wear  itself  out  and 
turn  at  last  into  stolidity  t  Oh  that  burnincr  lonsinii  nifrht 
and  day  were  happiness!  But  now  its  fire  has  turned 
to  ice.     Why  does  home  seem  so  far  away .?     It  is  one's 


<4  \ 


■l,:i 


37^ 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


all ;  life  without  it  is  so  empty,  so  empty — nothing  but 
dead  emptiness.  Is  it  the  restlessness  of  spring  that  is 
beginning  to  come  over  one  ? — the  desire  for  action,  for 
something  different  from  this  indolent,  enervating  life? 
Is  the  soul  of  man  nothing  but  a  succession  of  moods 
and  feelings,  shifting  as  incalculably  as  the  changing 
winds?  Perhaps  my  brain  is  over-tired;  day  and  night 
my  thoughts  have  turned  on  the  one  point,  the  possi- 
biHty  of  reaching  the  Pole  and  getting  home.  Perhaps 
it  is  rest  I  need  —  to  sleep,  sleep!  Am  I  afraid  of 
venturing  my  life?  No,  it  cannot  be  that.  But  what 
else,  then,  can  be  keeping  me  back  ?  Perhaps  a  secret 
doubt  of  the  practicability  of  the  plan.  My  mind  is 
confused;  the  whole  thing  has  got  into  a  tangle;  I  am 
a  riddle  to  myself.  I  am  worn  out,  and  yet  I  do  not 
feel  any  special  tiredness.  Is  it  perhaps  because  I  sat 
up  reading  last  night  ?  Everything  around  is  empti- 
ness, and  my  brain  is  a  blank.  I  look  at  the  home 
pictures  and  am  moved  by  them  in  a  curious,  dull  way ;  ' 
I  look  into  the  future,  and  feel  as  if  it  does  not  much 
matter  to  me  whether  I  get  home  in  the  autumn  of  this 
year  or  next.  So  long  as  I  get  home  in  the  end,  a  year 
or  two  seem  almost  nothing.  I  have  never  thought  this 
before.  I  have  no  inclination  to  read,  nor  to  draw,  nor 
to  do  anything  else  whatever.  Folly  !  Shall  I  try  a  few 
pages  of  Schopenhauer?  No,  I  will  go  to  bed,  though 
I  am  not  sleepy.  Perhaps,  if  the  truth  v^ere  known,  I 
am  longing  now  more  than  ever.     The  only  thing  that 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


373 


helps  me  is  writing,  trying  to  express  myself  on  these 
pages,  and  then  looking  at  myself,  as  it  were,  from  the 
outside.  Yes,  man's  life  is  nothing  but  a  succession  of 
moods,  half  memory  and  half  hope. 

"  Thursday,  January  i8th.     The  wind  that  began  yes- 
terday has  gone  on  blowing  all  to-day  with   a  velocity 
of  1 6  to  19  feet  per  second,  from  S.S.E.,  S.E.,  and  E.S.E. 
It  has  no  doubt  helped  us  on  a  good  way  north ;   but  it 
seems  to  be  going  down ;  now,  about  midnight,  it  has 
sunk  to  4  metres;  and   the  barometer,  which  has  been 
rising  all  the  time,  has  suddenly  Ijegun   to   fall;  let  us 
hope  that  it  is  not  a  cyclone  passing  over  us,  bringing 
northerly  wind.       It  is  curious  that  there  is  almost  always 
a  rise  of  the  thermometer  with  these  stronger  winds ;  to- 
day it  rose  to  13°  Fahr.  below  zero  (-25°  C).      A  south 
wind  of  less  velocity  generally   lowers   the  temperature, 
and  a  moderate  north  wind  raises  it.     Payer's  explana- 
tion of  this  raising  of  the  temperature  by  strong  winds 
is  that  the  wind  is  warmed  by  passing  over  large  open- 
ings in  the  ice.     This  can  hardly  be  correct,  at  any  rate 
in  our  case,  for  we  have  few  or  no  openings.     I  am  rath- 
er inclined  to  believe  that  the   rise   is  produced  by  air 
from  higher  strata  being  brought  down  to  the  surface  of 
the  earth.     It  is  certain  that  the   higher  air  is  warmer 
than  the  lower,  which  comes  inJ:o  contact  with  snow  and 
ice  surfaces  cooled  by  radiation.     Our  observations  go  to 
prove  that  such  is  the  case.     Add  to  this  that  the  air  in 
its  fall  is  heated  by  the  i-ising  pressure.     A  strong  wind, 


1^  J 


■f  'M 


>:• 


'I 


!,', 


i\X' 


B- 


1  '    I 


'if 


374 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


even  if  it  does  not  come  from  the  higher  strata  of  the  at- 
mosphere, must  necessarily  make  some  confusion  in  the 
mutual  position  of  the  various  strata,  mixing  the  higher 
with  those  below  them,  and  vice  versa. 

"  I  had  a  strange  dream  last  night.  I  had  got  home. 
I  can  still  feel  something  of  the  trembling  joy,  mixed 
with  fear,  with  which  I  neared  land  and  the  first  tele- 
graph station.  I  had  carried  out  my  plan ;  we  had 
reached  the  North  Pole  on  sledges,  and  then  got  down 
to  Franz  Josef  Land.  I  had  seen  nothing  but  drift-ice ; 
and  when  people  asked  what  it  was  like  up  there,  and 
how  we  knew  we  had  been  to  the  Pole,  I  had  no  answer 
to  give;  I  had  forgotten  to  take  accurate  observations, 
and  now  began  to  feel  that  this  had  been  stupid  of  me. 
It  is  very  curious  that  I  had  an  exactly  similar  dream 
when  we  were  drifting  on  the  ice-floes  along  the  east 
coast  of  Greenland,  and  thought  that  we  were  being  car- 
ried farther  and  farther  from  our  destination.  Then  I 
dreamed  that  I  had  reached  home  after  crossing  Green- 
land on  the  ice;  but  that  I  was  ashamed  because  I  could 
give  no  account  of  what  I  had  seen  on  the  way — I  had 
forgotten  everything.  Is  there  not  a  lucky  omen  in 
the  resemblance  between  these  two  dreams  ?  I  attained 
my  aim  the  first  time,  bad  as  things  looked;  shall  I  not 
do  so  this  time  too?  If.  I  were  superstitious  I  should 
feel  surer  of  it;  but,  even  though  I  am  not  at  all  su- 
perstitious, I  have  a  firm  conviction  that  our  enterprise 
must  be  successful.     This  belief  is  not  merely  the  result 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


375 


of  the  last  two  days'  south  wind ;  something  within  me 
says  that  we  shall  succeed.  I  laugh  now  at  myself  for 
having  been  weak  enough  to  doubt  it.  I  can  spend 
hours  staring  into  the  light,  dreaming  of  how,  when  we 
land,  I  shall  grope  my  way  to  the  first  telegraph  station, 
trembling  with  emotion  and  suspense.  I  write  out  tele- 
gram after  telegram ;  I  ask  the  clerk  if  he  can  give  me 
any  news  from  home. 

"Friday,  January  19th.  Splendid  wind,  with  velocity 
of  13  to  19  feet  per  second;  we  are  going  north  at  a 
grand  rate.  The  red,  glowing  twilight  is  now  so  bright 
about  midday  that  if  we  were  in  more  southern  latitudes 
we  should  e.;pect  to  see  the  sun  rise  bright  and  glorious 
above  the  horizon  in  a  few  minutes;  but  we  shall  have  to 
wait  a  month  yet  for  that. 

"  Saturday,  January  20th.  I  had  about  600  pounds  of 
pemmican  and  200  pounds  of  bread  brought  up  from  the 
hold  to-day  and  stowed  on  the  forecastle.  It  is  wrono- 
not  to  have  some  provisions  on  deck  against  any  sudden 
emergency,  such  as  fire. 

"Sunday,  January  21st.  We  took  a  long  excursion 
to  the  northwest;  the  ice  in  that  direction,  too,  was  tol- 
erably flat.  Sverdrup  and  I  got  on  the  top  of  a  hio-h- 
pressure  mound  at  some  distance  from  here.  It  was  in 
the  centre  of  what  had  been  very  violent  packing,  but,  all 
the  same,  the  wall  at  its  highest  was  not  over  1 7  feet,  and 
this  was  one  of  the  highest  and  biggest  altogether  that  I 
have  seen  yet.     An  altitude  of  the  moon  taken  this  even- 


|i 


I  TSl 


^it; 


!1         f 


n 


t  !■ 


ir 


u 


I  I 


376 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


ing  showed  us  to  be  in  79^  35'  north  latitude — exactly  what 
I  had  thought.  We  are  so  accustomed  now  to  calculating 
our  drift  by  the  wind  that  we  are  able  to  tell  pretty 
nearly  where  we  are.  This  is  a  good  step  northward,  if 
we  could  take  many  more  such.  In  honor  of  the  King's 
birthday  we  have  a  treat  of  figs,  raisins,  and  almonds. 

"Tuesday,  January  23d.  When  I  came  on  deck  this 
morning  '  Caiaphas '  was  sitting  out  on  the  ice  on  the 
port  quarter,  barking  incessantly  to  the  east.  I  knew 
there  must  be  something  th'^re,  and  went  off  with  a  re- 
volver, Sverdrup  following  with  one  also.  When  I  got 
near  the  dog  he  came  to  meet  me,  always  wriggling  his 
head  round  to  the  east  and  barking;  then  he  ran  on  before 
us  in  that  direction ;  it  was  plain  that  there  was  some 
animal  there,  and  of  course  it  could  only  be  a  bear.  The 
full  moon  stood  low  and  red  in  the  north,  and  sent  its 
feeble  light  obliquely  across  the  broken  ice-surface.  I 
looked  out  sharply  in  all  directions  over  the  hummocks, 
which  cast  long,  many -shaped  shadows;  but  I  could 
distinguish  nothing  in  this  confusion.  We  went  on, 
'  Caiaphas '  first,  growling  and  barking  and  pricking  his 
ears,  and  I  after  him,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  a 
bear  loom  up  in  front  of  us.  Our  course  was  eastward 
along  the  opening.  The  dog  presently  began  to  go 
more  cautir.  dy  and  straighter  forward;  then  he  stopped 
making  any  noise  except  a  low  growl — we  were  evident- 
ly drawing  near.  I  mounted  a  hummock  to  look  about, 
and  caught  sight  among  the  blocks  of  ice  of  something 


n  I 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


177 


dark,  which  seemed  to  be  coming  towards  us.     '  There 
comes  a  black  dog,'   I  called.     '  No,  it  is  a  bear,'  said 
Sverdrup,  who  was  more  to  the  side  of  it  and  could  see 
better.     I  saw  now,  too,  that  it  was  a  large  animal,  and 
that  it  had  only  been  its  head  that  I  had  taken  for  a 
dog.     It  was  not  unlike  a  bear  in   its  movements,  but 
it  seemed  to  me  remarkably  dark    in  color.     I  pulled 
the  revolver  out  of  the  holster  and  rushed  forward  to 
empty  all  its  barrels  into  the  creature's  head.     When 
I  was  just  a  few  paces  from  it,  and  preparing  to  shoot,  it 
raised  its  head  and  I  saw  that  it  was  a  walrus,  and  that 
same  moment  it  threw  itself  sideways  into  the  water. 
There  we  stood.      To  shoot  at  such  a  fellow  with  a  re- 
volver would  be  of  as  much  use  as  squirting  water  at  a 
goose.     The  great  black  head  showed  again  immediate- 
ly in  a  strip  of  moonlight  on  the  dark  water.     The  an- 
imal took   a  long  look  at    us,  disappeared  for   a  little, 
appeared  again   nearer,  bobbed  up  and  down,  blew,  lay 
with  its  head  under  water,  shoved  itself  over  towards  us, 
raised  its  head  again.     It  was  enough  to  drive  one  mad ; 
if  we  had  only  had  a  harpoon  I  could  easily  have  stuck 
it  into  its  back.     Yes,  if  we  had  had— and  back  to  the 
Fram  we  ran  as  fast  as  our  legs  would  carry  us  to  get 
harpoon  and  rifle.    But  the  harpoon  and  line  were  stored 
away,  and   were    not  to  be   had  at  once.      Who   could 
have  guessed  that  they  would   be   needed   here.?      The 
harpoon   point  had   to  be  sharpened,  and  all  this  took 
tune.      And  for  all  our  searching  afterwards  east  and 


jj 


1, 


m 


■  w .. 


I'/ ' 


m 


j    \ 


rril 


\t 


■*1 


i-P 


i'j'il 


ill  1 


378 


FA  J^  THE  ST  NORTH 


I,  I 


west  along  the  opening,  no  walrus  was  to  be  found. 
Goodness  knows  where  it  had  gone,  as  there  are  hard- 
ly any  openings  in  the  ice  for  a  long  distance  round. 
Sverdrup  and  I  vainly  fret  over  not  having  known  at 
once  what  kind  of  anirnal  it  was,  for  if  we  had  only 
guessed  we  should  have  him  now.  But  who  expects 
to  meet  a  walrus  on  close  ice  in  the  middle  of  a  wild 
sea  of  a  thousand  fathoms  deptli,  and  that  in  the  heart 
of  winter.?  None  of  us  ever  heard  of  such  a  thine 
before ;  it  is  a  perfect  mystery.  As  I  thought  we 
might  have  come  upon  shoals  or  into  the  neighborhood 
of  land,  I  had  soundings  taken  in  the  afternoon  with 
130  fathoms  (240  metres)  of  line,  but  no  bottom  was 
found. 

"By  yesterday's  observations  we  are  in  79°  41'  north 
latitude  and  1 35°  29'  east  longitude.  That  is  good  progress 
north,  and  it  does  not  much  matte-  that  we  have  been  taken 
a  little  west.  The  clouds  are  driving  this  evening  before 
a  strong  south  wind,  so  we  shall  likely  be  going  before 
it  soon  too;  in  the  meantime  there  is  a  breeze  from  the 
south  so  slight  that  you  hardly  feel  it. 

"  The  opening  on  our  stern  lies  almost  east  and  west. 
We  could  see  no  end  to  it  westward  when  we  went  after 
the  walrus ;  and  Mogstad  and  Peter  had  gone  three  miles 
east,  and  it  was  as  broad  as  ever  there. 

"  Wednesday,  January  24th.  At  supper  this  evening 
Peter  told  some  of  his  remarkable  Spitzbergen  stories — 
about  his  comrade  Andreas  Bek.     'Well,  you  sic,  it  was 


I 


1V\ 


.^^1 


THE    IVINTER   NJGHT 


379 


up  about  Dutchman's  Island,  or  Amsterdam  Island,  that 
Andreas  Bek  and   I  were  on  shore  and  got  in  among 
all  the  graves.     We  thought  we'd  like  to  see  what  was 
in  them,  so  we  broke  up  some  of  the  coffins,  and  there 
they  lay.     Some  of  them  had  still  flesh  on  their  jaws  and 
noses,  and  some  of  them  still  had  their  caps  on  their 
heads.      Andreas,  he  was  a  devil   of  a  fellow,  you  see, 
and  he  broke  up  the  coffins  and  got  hold  of  the  skulls, 
and  rolled  them  about  here  and  there.     Some  of  them 
he  set  up  for  targets  ^nd  shot  at.      Then  he  wanted  to 
see  if  there  was  marrow  left  in  their  bones,  so  he  took 
and  broke  a  thigh -bone —  and,  sure  enough,  there  was 
marrow;  he  took  and  picked  it  out  with  a  wooden  pin.' 
" '  How  could  he  do  a  thing  like  that .?' 
"'Oh,  it  war,  only  a  Dutchman,  you  know.     But  he 
had  a  bad  dream  thr.t  night,  had  Andreas.     All  the  dead 
men  came  to  fetch  him,  and  he  ran  from  them  and  got 
right  out  on  the  bowsprit,  and  there  he  sat  and  yelled, 
while    the    dead    men    stood    on    the    forecastle.      And 
the  one  with   his  broken   thigh-bone  in   his  hand  was 
foremost,    and     he     came     crawling    out,    and    wanted 
Andreas    to   put  it  together   again.     But  just  then   he 
wakened.     We  were  lying  in  the  same  berth,  you  see, 
Andreas  and  me,  and  I  sat  up  in  the  berth  and  lauo-hed 
listening  to  him  yelling.     I  wouldn't  waken  him,  not  I. 
I  thought  it  was  fun  to  hear  him  getting  paid  out  a  little.' 
'"It  was  bad  of  you,  Peter,  '     have  any  part  in  that 
horrid  plundering  of  dead  bodie    ' 


II' 


J^ 


W 


i(y 


m'n 


1  "ta 


I  h 


, 


|;r«J 


' 


I' 


li^ 


^q!  I 


u 


IM^ 


380 


FARl'HEST  NORTH 


"'Oh,  I  never  did  anything  to  them,  you  know.  Just 
once  I  broke  up  a  coffin  to  get  wood  to  make  a  fire  for 
our  coffee;  but  when  we  opened  it  the  body  just  fell  to 
pieces.  But  it  was  juicy  wood,  that,  better  to  burn  than 
the  best  fir-roots — such  a  fire  ,  s  it  made !' 

"  One  of  the  others  now  remarked,  '  Wasn't  it  the 
devil  that  used  a  skull  for  his  coffee-cup  ?' 

"'Well,  he  hadn't  anything  else,  you  see,  and  he  just 
happened  to  find  one.  There  was  no  harm  in  that,  was 
there  T 

"  Then  Jacobsen  began  to  hold  forth :  '  It's  not  at 
all  such  an  uncommon  thing  to  use  skulls  for  shooting 
at,  either  because  people  fancy  them  for  targets,  or 
because  of  some  other  reason;  they  shoot  in  throu<>-h 
the  eyeholes,'  etc.,  etc. 

"I  asked  Peter  about  '  Tobiesen's '  coffin— if  it  had 
ever  been  dug  up  to  find  out  if  it  was  true  that  his 
men  had  killed  him  and  his  son. 

" '  No,  that  one  has  never  been  dug  up.' 

"  '  I  sailed  past  there  last  year,'  begins  Jacobsen  -gain  ; 
'  I  didn't  go  ashore,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  I  heard  that 
it  had  been  dug  up.' 

"  '  That's  just  rubbish  ;  it  has  never  been  dug  up.' 

" '  Well,'  said  I,  '  it  seems  to  me  that  I've  heard  some- 
thing about  it  too;  I  believe  it  was  here  on  board,  and 
I  am  very  much  mistaken  if  it  was  not  yourself  that  said 
it,  Peter.' 

" '  No,  I  never  said  that.     All   I  said  was  that  a  man 


\ 


or 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


3SI 


once  struck  a  walrus-spear  through  the  coffin,  and  it's 
sticking  there  yet.' 

" '  What  did  he  do  that  for  ?' 

" '  Oh,  just  because  he  wanted  to  know  if  there  was 
anything  in  the  coffin ;  and  yet  he  didn't  want  to  open 
it,  you  know.     But  let  him  lie  in  peace  now.' " 

"  Friday  January  26th.     Peter  and   I  went  eastward 
along  the  opening  this  morning  for  about  seven   miles, 
and  we  saw  where  it  ends,  in  some  old  pressure-ridges;' 
its  whole  length  is  over  seven  miles.    Movement  in  the  ice' 
began  on  our  way  home ;  indeed,  there  was  pretty  strong 
pressure   all   the   time.      As   we   were    walking   on    the 
new  ice  in   the  opening   it  rose  in  furrows  or  cracked 
under  our  feet.     Then  it  raised  itself  up  into  two  high 
walls,  between  which   we  walked  as   if   along  a  street, 
amidst  unceasing  noises,  sometimes  howling  and  whining 
like  a  dog  complaining  of  the  cold,  sometimes  a  roar  like 
the  thunder  of  a  great  waterfall.     We  were  often  obliged 
to  take  refuge  on  the  old  ice,  either  because  we  came  to 
open  water  with  a  confusion  of  floating  blocks,  or  because 
the  line  of  the  packing  had  gone  straight   across   the 
opening,  and  there  was  a  wall  in  front  of  us  like  a  high 
frozen  wave.      It  seemed  as  if  the  ice  on  the  south  side 
of  the  opening  where  the  Fram   is  lying  were  moving 
east,  or  else  that  on  the  north  side  was  moving  west;  fo^ 
the  floes  on  the  two  sides  slanted  in  towards  each  other 
in  these  directions.     We  saw  tracks  of  a  little  bear  which 
had  trotted  along  the  opening  the  day  before.     Unfort- 


M 


Vh 


■  ^ 


ii.hi 


\\i 


IW 


Ujl      ! 


riir 


ii' 


[ilr  1  ^ 

11'"  i_  .. 


3«^ 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


unately  it  had  gone  off  southwest,  and  we  had  small 
hope,  with  this  steady  south  wind,  of  its  getting  scent 
of  the  ship  and  corning  to  fetch  a  little  of  the  flesh  on 
board. 

"Saturday,  January  27tli.  The  days  are  turning  dis- 
tinctly lighter  now.  We  can  just  see  to  read  Verdens 
Gang*  about  midday.  .At  thai,  time  to-day  Sverdrup 
thought  he  saw  land  far  astern ;  it  was  dark  and  irregular, 
in  some  places  high ;  he  fancied  that  it  might  be  only  an 
appearance  of  clouds.  When  I  returned  from  a  walk, 
about  1  o'clock,  I  went  up  to  look,  but  saw  only  piled- 
up  ice.  Perhaps  this  was  the  same  as  he  saw,  or  possibly 
I  was  too  late.  (It  turned  out  next  day  to  be  only  an 
optical  illusion.)  Severe  pressure  has  been  going  on  this 
evening.  It  oegan  at  7.30  astern  in  the  opening,  and 
went  on  steadily  for  two  hours.  It  sounded  as  if  a  roar- 
ing waterfall  were  rushing  down  upon  us  with  a  force 
that  nothing  could  resist.  One  heard  the  big  floes  crash- 
ing and  breaking  against  each  other.  They  were  flung^ 
and  pressed  up  into  high  walls,  which  must  now  stretch 
along  the  whole  opening  east  and  west,  for  one  hears 
the  roar  the  whole  way.  It  is  coming  nearer  just  now; 
the  ship  is  getting  violent  shocks ;  it  is  like  waves  in  the 
ice.  They  come  on  us  from  behind,  and  move  forward. 
We  stare  out  into  the  night,  but  can  see  nothing,  for  it 
is  pitch-dark.     Now  I  hear  cracking  and  shifting  in  the 

*  A  Norwegian  newspaper. 


THE   WJNTEK  NIGIIT 


385 


hummock  on  the  starboard  quarter;  it  gets  louder  and 
stronger,  and  extends  steadily.  At  last  the  waterfall  roar 
abates  a  little.  It  becomes  more  unequal;  there  is  a 
longer  interval  between  each  shock.  I  am  so  cold  that  I 
creep  below. 

"  But  no  sooner  have  I  seated  myself  to  write  than 
the  ship  begins  to  heave  and  tremble  again,  and  I  hear 
through  her  sides  the  roar  of  the  packing.  As  the  bear- 
trap  niay  be  in  danger,  three  men  go  off  to  see  to  it,  but 
they  find  that  there  is  a  distance  of  50  paces  between 
the  new  pressure-ridge  and  the  wire  by  which  the  trap 
is  secured,  so  they  leave  it  as  it  is.  The  pressure-ridge 
was  an  ugly  sight,  they  say,  but  they  could  distinguish 
nothing  well  in  the  dark. 

"  Most  violent  pressure  is  beginning  again.     I  must  go 
on  deck  and  look  at  it.     The  loud  roar  meets  one  as  one 
opens  the  door.     It  is  coming  from  the  bow  now.  as  well 
as  from  the  stern.     It  is  clear  that  ]3ressure-ridges  are 
being  thrown  up  in  both  openings,  so  if  they  rc^ach  us 
we  shall   be  taken   by  both  ends  and   lifted   lightly  and 
gently  out   of   the  water.      There   i     pressure   near   us 
on  all  sides.     Creaking  has  begun  in  the  old  hummock 
on    the   port   quarter;  it   is  getting   louder,  and,  so  far 
as  I  can  see,  the  hummock  is  slowly  rising.     A  lane  has 
opened  right  across  the  large  floe  on  the  port  si.    ,  you 
can  see  the  water,  dark  as  it  is.     Now  both  pressure  and 
noise  get  worse  and  worse ;  the  ship  shakes,  and  I  feel 
as  if  I  myself  were  being  gently  lifted  with  the  stern-rail. 


i^-^.     >1 


^1  f 


I    / 


'< 


i:;.i 


384 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\     f 


•r  .1   ii 


where  I  stand  gazing  out  at  the  welter  of  ice-masses  that 
resemble  giant  snakes  writhing  and  twisting  their  great 
bodies  out  there  under  the  quiet,  starry  sky,  whose  peace 
is  only  broken  by  one  aurora  serpent  waving  and  flick- 
ering restlessly  in  the  northeast.  I  once  more  think 
what  a  comfort  it  is  to  be  safe  on  board  the  Fram,  and 
look  out  with  a  certain  contempt  at  the  horrible  hurly- 
burly  Nature  is  raising  to  no  purpose  whatever;  it  will 
not  crush  us  in  a  hurry,  nor  even  frighten  us.  Suddenly 
I  remember  that  my  fine  thermometer  is  in  a  hole  on  a 
floe  to  port  on  the  other  side  of  the  opening,  and  must 
certainly  be  in  danger.  I  jump  on  to  the  ice,  find  a 
place  where  I  can  leap  across  the  opening,  and  grope 
about  in  the  dark  until  I  find  the  piece  of  ice  covering 
the  hole;  I  get  hold  of  the  string,  and  the  thermometer 
is  saved.  I  hurry  on  board  again  well  pleased,  and  down 
into  my  comfortable  cabin  to  smoke  a  pipe  of  peace — alas! 
this  vice  grows  upon  me  more  and  more — and  to  listen 
with  glee  to  the  roar  of  the  pressure  outside  and  feel  its 
shakings,  like  so  many  earthquakes,  as  I  sit  and  write  my 
diary.  Safe  and  comfortable,  I  cannot  but  think  with 
deep  pity  of  the  many  who  have  had  to  stand  by  on  deck 
in  readiness  to  leave  their  frail  vessels  on  the  occurrence 
of  any  such  pressure.  The  poor  Tegethoff  fellows — they 
had  a  bad  time  of  it,  and  yet  theirs  was  a  good  ship  in 
comparison  with  many  of  the  others.  It  is  now  11.30, 
and  the  noise  outside  seems  to  be  subsiding. 

"It  is   remarkable  that  we   should  have  this  strong: 


THE   WINTER   N/aUT 


38S 


pressure  just  now,  with  the  moon  in  its  last  quarter  and 
neap  tide.     This  does  not  agree  with  our  previous  expe- 
riences ;  no  more  does  the  fact  that  the  pressure  the  day 
before  yesterday  was  from  12  a.m.  to  about  2  p.m.,  and 
then  a<;ain  at  2  a.m.,  and  now  we  have  had  it  from   7.30 
to   10.30  p.m.      Can  land  have  somctliing  to  do  with  it 
here,  after  all.?     The   temj)erature   to-day   is  42^   Fahr. 
below  zero  (-41.4'  C),  but    there   is   no   wind,  and    we 
have  not  had  such  pleasant   weather  for  walking  for  a 
long  time;  it  feels  almost  mild  here  when  the  air  is  still. 
"  No,  that  was  not  the  end  of  the  pressure.     When  I 
was  on  deck  at  a  quarter  to  twelve  roaring  and  trembling 
began  again  in  the  ice  forward  on  the  port  quarter;  then 
suddenly  came  one  loud   boom  after  another,  sounding 
out  in  the  distance,  and  the  ship  gave  a  start ;  there  was 
again  a  little  pressure,  and  after  that  quietness.     I-aint 
aurora  borealis. 

"  Sunday,  January  28th.  Strange  to  say,  there  has 
been  no  pressure  since  12  o'clock  last  night;  the  ice 
seems  perfectly  quiet.  The  pressure-ridge  astern  showed 
what  violent  packing  yesterday's  was;  in  one  place  its 
height  was  18  or  19  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water; 
floe-ice  8  feet  thick  was  broken,  pressed  up  in  square 
blocks,  and  crushed  to  pieces.  At  one  point  a  huge 
monolith  of  such  floe-ice  rose  high  into  the  air.  Beyond 
this  pressure-wall  there  was  no  great  disturbance  to  be 
detected.  There  had  been  a  little  packing  here  and 
there,  and  the  floe  to  port  had  four  or  five  large  cracks 


i',: 


I  ♦■■ 


\^k 


i 


\\  '1 


25 


386 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\  \ 


across  it,  which  no  doubt  accounted  for  tlie  explosions  I 
heard  last  night.  The  ice  to  starboard  was  also  cracked 
in  several  places.  The  pressure  had  evidently  come  from 
the  north  or  N.N.E.  The  rid<j;e  behind  us  is  one  of  the 
highest  I  have  seen  yet.  1  believe  that  if  the  Fram  had 
been  lying  there  she  would  have  been  lifted  right  out  of 
the  water.  I  walked  for  some  distance  in  a  northeasterly 
direction,  but  saw  no  signs  of  pressure  there. 

"  Another  Sunday.  It  is  wonderful  that  the  time  can 
pass  so  quickly  as  it  does.  hOr  one  thing  we  are  in 
better  spirits,  knowing  that  we  are  drifting  steadily  north. 
A  rough  estimate  of  to-day's  observation  gives  79'  50' 
north  latitude.  That  is  not  much  since  Monday;  but 
then  yesterday  and  to-day  there  has  been  almost  no 
wind  at  all,  and  the  other  days  it  has  been  very  light — 
only  once  or  twice  with  as  much  as  9  feet  velocity,  the 
rest  of  the  time  3  and  6. 

"A  remarkable  event  happened  yesterday  afternoon:  I 
got  Munthe's  picture  of  the  '  Three  Princesses  '  fastened 
firmly  on  the  wall.  It  is  a  thing  that  we  have  been  going 
to  do  ever  since  we  left  Christiania,  but  we  have  never 
been  able  to  summon  up  energy  for  such  a  heavy  under- 
taking— it  meant  knocking  in  four  nails — and  the  picture 
has  amused  itself  b\-  constantlv  falling  and  <j;uil]otinin<>- 
whoever  happened  to  be  sitting  on  the  sofa  below  it. 

"Tuesday,  January  30th.  79  49'  north  latitude,  134" 
57'  east  longitude,  is  the  tale  told  by  this  afternoon's  ob- 
servations, while   by  Sunday  afternoon's  we  were   in  79 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


387 


50'   north   latitude,  and    133     23'  east   longitude.     This 
fall-off  to  the  southeast  again  was  not  more  than  I  had 
expected,  as  it  has  been  almost  calm  since  Sunday.     I 
explain    the   thing   to   myself  thus:    When   the   ice   has 
been  set  adrift  in  a  certain  direction  by  the  wind  blow- 
ing  that  way  for  some    time   it  gradually  in   process   of 
drifting  becomes  more  compressed,  and  when  that  wind 
dies    away   a   reaction    in    the    opposite    direction    takes 
place.     Such  a  reaction   must,  I  believe,  have  been   the 
cause  of  Saturdays  pressure,  which  stopped  entirely  as 
suddenly  as  it   began.     Since  then   there  has  not   been 
the  slightest  appearance  of  movement  in  the  ice.     Prob- 
ably  the    pressure   indicates    the    time    when    the   drift 
turned.     A  light   breeze   has   sprung    up   this   afternoon 
from    S.E.  and    E.S.E.,  increasing   gradually   to    almost 
'mill  wind."     We  are  going  north  again;   surely  we  shall 
get  the  better  of  the  80th  degree  this  time. 

"  Wednesday,  January  31st.  The  wind  is  whistling 
among  the  hummocks;  the  snow  flies  rustlincr  throu<rh 
the  an- ;  ice  and  sky  are  melted  into  one.  It  is  dark  ;  our 
skins  are  smarting  with  the  cold;  but  we  are  ijoin"-  north 
at  full  speed,  and  arc  in  the  wildest  of  gay  spirits. 

"  Thursday,  I-ebruary  ist.  The  same  sort  of  weather 
as  yesterday,  except  that  it  has  turned  quite  mild— 7.^ 
Fahr.  below  /.ero  (-22  C).  The  snow  is  falling  exactly 
as  it  does  in  winter  weather  at  home.  The  wind  is  more 
southerly,  S.S.E.  now,  and  rather  lighter.  It  may  be 
taken  for  granted  that  we  have  passed  the  80th  deoree, 


■      f 


i-i  1 


j'l 


J  I 


f  .ii 

<  1 

i 

Hi 

I 


3^8 


FAR  THE  S  2'  NORTH 


it    \ 


\<  J 


and  we  had  a  small  preliminary  fete  this  evening — figs, 
raisins,  and  almonds — and  dart-shooting,  which  last  result- 
ed for  me  in  a  timely  replenishment  of  my  cigarette-case." 

"  Friday,  February  2d.  High  festival  to-day  in  honor 
of  the  80th  degree,  beginning  with  fresh  rye-bread  and 
cake  for  breakfast.  Took  a  long  walk  to  get  up  an  appe- 
tite for  dinner.  According  to  this  morning's  observation, 
we  are  in  80°  10'  north  latitude  and  132''  10'  east  longi- 
tude. Hurrah  !  Well  sailed !  I  had  offered  to  bet  heav- 
ily that  we  had  passed  80",  but  no  one  would  take  the 
bet.  Dinner  menu  :  Ox-tail  soup,  fish-pudding,  potatoes, 
rissoles,  green  pease,  haricot  beans,  cloudberries  with  milk, 
and  a  whole  bottle  of  beer  to  each  man.  Coffee  and  a 
cigarette  after  dinner.  Could  one  wish  for  more-f*  In  the 
evening  we  had  tinned  pears  and  peaches,  gingerbread, 
dried  bananas,  figs,  raisins,  and  almonds.  Complete  hol- 
iday all  day.  We  read  aloud  the  discussions  of  this  ex- 
pedition published  before  we  left,  and  had  some  good 
laughs  at  the  many  objections  raised.  But  our  people  at 
home,  perhaps,  do  not  laugh  if  they  read  them  now. 

"  Monday,  February  5th.  Last  time  we  shall  have 
Ringnes  beer  at  dinner.     Day  of  mourning. 

"  Tuesday,  February  6th.  Calm,  clear  weather.  A 
strong  sun-glow  above  the  horizon  in  the  south ;  yellow, 
green,  and  light  blue  above  that ;  all  the  rest  of  the  sky 
deep  ultramarine.  I  stood  looking  at  it,  trying  to 
remember  if  the  Italian  sky  was  ever  bluer;  I  do  not 
think  so.      It   is  curious    that    this   deep   color    should 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


389 


always    occur    along   v/ith    cold.       Is   it  perhaps  that  a 
current   from    more    northerly,    clear    regions    produces 
drier   and    more    transparent  air    in    the    upper    strata? 
The  color  was  so  remarkable  to-day  that  one  could  not 
help  noticing  it.     Striking  contrasts  to   it  were  formed 
by  the  Frams  red  deck-house  and  the  white  snow  on 
roof  and  rigging.     Ice  and  hummocks  were  quite  violet 
wherever   they   were    turned   from    the    daylight.      This 
color  was  specially  strong  over  the  fields  of  snow  upon 
the  floes.     The  temperature  has  been  52    Fahr.  and  54° 
Fahr.  below  zero  (-47°  and  -48'^  C).     There  is  a  sud- 
den change  of  125"  Fahr.  when  one  comes  up  from  the 
saloon,  where  the  thermometer  is  at  72°  Fahr.  (  +  22°  C); 
but,  although  thinly  clad  and  bareheaded,  one  does  not 
feel  it  cold,  and   can   even   with   impunity  take  hold  of 
the  brass  door-handle  or  the  steel  cable  of  the  riooina. 
The    cold     is    visible,  however;     one's     breath    is    like 
cannon  smoke  before   it    is    out   of   one's    mouth;    and 
when  a  man  spits  there  is  quite  a  little  cloud  of  steam 
round  the  fallen  moisture.     The  Fram  always  gives  off 
a  mist,  which  is  carried  along  by  the  wind,  and  a  man 
or  a  dog  can  be  detected  far  off  among  tlie  liummocks 
or  pressure-ridges   by   the    pillar  of  vapor   that   follows 
his  progress. 

"Wednesday,  February  7th.  It  is  extraordinary 
what  a  frail  thing  hope,  or  rather  the  mind  of  man,  is. 
I  here  was  a  little  breeze  this  morning  from  the  N.N.E., 
only  6  feet  per  second,  thermometer  at  57^  Fahr.  below 


m 


;iii 


.  „i 


m'  .■,' 


|]^ 


!r  'M 


III 

Mi'"  i 


»  If 


'^        1;       Ir 


Ik 
Eil 


:-f' 


If.?  I 

it  ■     !i     ' 


390 


FARTJfEST  NORTH 


zero  (-49.6°  C),  and  immediately  one's  brow  is  clouded 
over,  and  it  becomes  a  matter  of  indifference  how  we  get 
home,  so  long  as  we  only  get  home  soon.  I  immediately 
assume  land  to  the  northward,  from  which  come  these 
cold  winds,  with  clear  atmosphere  and  frost  and  bright 
blue  skies,  and  conclude  that  this  extensive  tract  of 
land  must  form  a  pole  of  cold  with  a  constant  maximum 
of  air-pressure,  which  will  force  us  south  with  north- 
east winds.  About  midday  the  air  began  to  grow 
more  hazy  and  my  mood  less  gloomy.  No  doubt 
there  is  a  south  wind  coming,  but  the  temperature  is 
still  too  low  for  it.  Then  the  temperature,  too,  rises, 
and  now  we  can  rely  on  the  wind.  And  this  evening  it 
came,  sure  enough,  from  S.S.W.,  and  now,  12  p.m.,  its 
velocity  is  1 1  feet,  and  the  temperature  has  risen  to  43° 
Fahr.  below  zero  (  —  42°  C).  This  promises  well.  We 
should  soon  reach  81  .  The  land  to  the  northward  has 
now  vanished  from  my  mind's  eye. 

"  We  had  lime-juice  with  sugar  at  dinner  to-day  instead 
of  beer,  and  it  seemed  to  be  approved  of.  We  call  it 
wine,  and  we  agreed  that  it  was  better  than  cider. 
Weighing  has  gone  on  this  evening,  and  the  increase  in 
certain  cases  is  still  disquieting.  Some  have  gained  as 
much  as  4  pounds  in  the  last  month — for  instance,  Sver- 
drup.  Blessing,  and  Juell,  who  beats  the  record  on  board 
with  13  stone.  '  I  never  weighed  so  much  as  I  do  now,' 
says  Blessing,  and  it  is  much  the  same  story  with  us  all. 
Y""5.  this  is  a  fatiguing  expedition,  but  our  menus  are 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


391 


always  in  due  proportion  to  our  labors.  To-day's 
dinner:  Knorr's  bean  soup,  toad-in-the-hole,  potatoes, 
rice  and  milk,  with  cranberry  jam.  Yesterday's  dinner : 
Fish  mc  gratin  (hashed  fish)  witli  potatoes,  curried  rabbit 
with  potatoes  and  French  beans,  stewed  bilberries,  and 
cranberries  with  milk.  At  breakfast  yesterday  we  had 
freshly  baked  wheat-bread,  at  breakfast  to-day  freshly 
baked  rye-bread.  These  are  specimens  of  our  ordinary 
bills  of  fare.  It  is  as  I  expected  :  I  bear  the  wind  roar- 
ing in  the  rigging  now;  it  is  going  to  be  a  regular  storm, 
according  to  our  ideas  of  one  here. 

"Saturday,  February    loth.     Though   that  wind   the 
other  day  did  no^   ^ome  to  much  after  all,  we  still  hoped 
that   we    had   made   good   waj-   north,  and   it   was   con- 
sequently an  unwelcome   surprise  when  yesterday's  ob- 
servation   showed    our    latitude    to    be    79"   57     N.,    i"' 
farther  south   instead  of  farther  north.     It  is  extraordi- 
nary how  little  inured  one  gets  to  disappointments ;  the 
longing  begins  again  ;    and  again   attainment  seems  so 
far  off,  so  doubtful.     And  this  though  I  dream  at  nights 
just  now  of  getting  out  of  the  ice  west  of  Iceland.     Hope 
is  a  rickety  craft  to  trust  one's  self  to.     I  had  a  lono- 
successful  drive  with  the  dogs  to-day. 

"  Sunday,  February  i  ith.  To-day  we  drove  out  with 
two  teams  of  dogs.  Things  went  well;  the  sledges  got 
on  much  better  over  this  ice  than  I  though i  they  would. 
They  do  ..o'  sink  much  in  the  snow.     On  tiat  ice  four 


dogs  can  draw  two  men. 


^1 


1,1 .'      ""» 


i 


I') 


392 


FARTHESl'  NORTH 


",ii  !A 


"Tuesday,  February  13th.  A  long  drive  southwest 
yesterday  with  white  dogs.  To-day  still  farther  in  the 
same  direction  on  snow-shoes.  It  is  good  healthy  exer- 
cise, with  a  temperature  of  43°  Fahr.  to  47°  Fahr.  below 
zero  (  —  42"  and  —44°  C.)  and  a  biting  north  wind.  Nat- 
ure is  so  fair  and  pure,  the  ice  is  so  spotless,  and  the 
lights  and  shadows  of  the  growing  day  so  beautiful  on 
the  new-fallen  snow.  The  Frams  hoar-frost-covered 
rigging  rises  straight  and  white  with  rime  towards  the 
sparivling  blue  sky.  C'ne's  thoughts  turn  to  the  snow- 
shoeing  days  at  home. 

"  Thursd;!y,  February  15th.  I  went  yesterday  on 
snow-shoes  farther  nortl^.east  than  I  have  ever  been 
before,  but  I  could  still  see  the  ship's  rigging  above 
the  edge  of  the  ice.  I  was  able  to  go  fast,  because 
the  ice  was  flat  in  that  direction.  To-day  I  went  the 
same  way  with  dogs.  I  am  examining  the  'lie  of  the 
land '  all  round,  and  thinking  of  plans  for  the  future. 

"  What  exaggerated  reports  of  the  Arctic  cold  are  in 
circulation !  It  was  cold  in  Greenland,  and  it  is  not 
milder  here ;  tlie  general  day  temperature  just  now  is 
about  40°  Fahr.  and  43"  Fahr.  below  zero.  I  was  clothed 
yesterday  as  usual  as  regards  the  legs — drawers,  knick- 
erbockers, stockings,  frieze  leggings,  snow -socks,  and 
moccasins ;  my  body  covering  consisted  of  an  ordinary 
shirt,  a  wolf -skin  cape,  and  a  sealskin  jacket,  and  I 
sweated  like  a  horse.  To-day  I  sat  still,  driving  with 
only  thin  ducks  above  my  ordinary  leg  wear,  and  on  my 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


393 


body  woollen  shirt,  vest,  Iceland  woollen  jersey,  a  frieze 
coat,  and  a  sealskin  one.     I  found  the  temperature  quite 
pleasant,  ard   even  perspired  a  little  to-day,  too.     Both 
yesterday  and  to-day  I  had  a  red-flannel  mask  on   my 
face,  but  it  made  me  too  warn.,  and  I  had  to  take  it  off, 
though  there  was  a  bitter  breeze  from  the  north.     That 
north  wind  is  still  persistent,  sometimes  v.ith  a  velocity 
of  9  or  even  13  feet,  but  yet  we  do  not  seem   to  be  drift- 
ing south ;    we  lie  in  80°  north  latitude,  or  even  a  few 
minutes  farther  north.     What  can  be  the  reason  of  this.? 
There  is  a  little  pressure  every  day  just  now.     Curious 
that    it   should    again    occur   at   the   moon's    change  of 
quarter.     The  moon  stands  high  in  the  sky,  and  there  is 
daylight  now,  too.     Soon  the  sun  will  be  making  his  ap- 
pearance, and  when  he  does  we  shall  hold  high  festival. 

"  Friday.  February  i6th.    Hurrah!    A  meridian  obser- 
vation to-day  shows  80^  T  north  latitude,  so  that  we  have 
come  a  few  minutes  north  since  last  Friday,  and  that  in 
spite  of  constant  northerlx-  winds  since  Monday.     There 
is  something  very  singular  about  this.     Is  it,  as  I  have 
thought  all  along  from  the  appearance  of  the  clouds  and 
the  haziness  of  the  air,  that  there  has  been  south  wind  in 
the  south,  preventing  the  drift  of  the   ice  that  way,  or 
have  we  at  last  come  under  the  influence  of  a  current.? 
That  shove  we  got  to  the  south  lately  in  the  face  of  south- 
erly winds  was  a  remarkable  thing,  and  so  is  our  remaining 
where  we  are  now  in  spite  of  the  northerly  ones.    It  would 
seem  that  new  powers  of  some  kind  must  be  at  work. 


!:H 


M 


394 


FAR ni EST  NORTH 


"To-day  another  noteworthy  thing  happened,  which 
was  that  about  midday  we  saw  the  sun,  or,  to  be  more 
correct,  an  image  of  the  sun,  for  it  was  only  a  mirage. 
A  peculiar  impression  was  produced  by  the  sight  of 
that  glowing  ^re  lit  just  above  the  outermost  edge  of 
the  ice.    According  to  the  enthusiastic  descriptions  given 


I'.;   1^ 


I 


yi 


:l 


I^H' 


,^,^..  .-r***^-"''  ■" 


FIRST    APPEARAXCK     OF    THE     SUN 

by  many  Arctic  travellers  of  the  first  appearance  of  this 
god  of  life  after  the  long  winter  night,  the  impres- 
sion ought  to  be  one  of  jubilant  excitement;  but  it 
was  not  so  in  my  case.  We  had  not  expected  to  see 
it  for  some  days  yet,  so  that  my  feeling  was  rather  one 
of   pain,  of  disappointment,  that  we    must   have   drifted 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


395 


farther  south  than  we  thought.     So  it  was  with  pleasure 
I  soon  discovered   that   it  could   not   be   the  sun  itself. 
The  mirage  was  at  first  like  a  flattened-out  glowing  red 
streak   of    fire    on    the    horizon;    later   there    were    two 
streaks,  the   one    above    the    other,   with    a   dark    space 
between;   and  from    the  main -top   I  could  see  four,  or 
even  five,  such  horizontal  lines  directly  over  one  another, 
and  all  of  equal   length;  as  if  one  could  only  imagine 
a  square  dull-red  sun  with  horizontal  dark  streaks  across 
It.     An  astronomical  observation  we  took   in  the  after- 
noon showed  that  the  sun   must    in    reality  have   been 
2°  22'  below  the  horizon  at  noon;  we  cannot  expect  to 
see  its  disk  above  the  ice  before  Tuesday  at  the  earliest: 
it  depends  on  the  refraction,  which  is  very  stronf  in  this 
cold  air.     All    the    same,  we    had  a    small    sun -festival 
this  evening,  on  the  occasion   of  the  appearance  of  its 
image  — a  treat  of   figs,  bananas,  raisins,  almonds,  and 
gingerbread. 

"Sunday,  February  i8th.  I  went  eastward  yester- 
day on  snow-shoes,  and  found  a  good  snow-shoeing  and 
driving  road  out  to  the  flats  that  lie  in  that  direction. 
There  is  a  pretty  bad  bit  first,  with  hummocks  and 
pressure-ridges,  and  then  you  come  out  on  these  great 
wide  plains,  which  seem  to  extend  for  miles  and  miles 
to  the  north,  east,  and  southeast.  To-day  I  drove 
out  there  with  eight  dogs;  the  driving  goes  capitally 
now;  some  of  the  others  followed  on  snow-shoes.  Still 
northerly  wind.     This  is  slow  work;  but  anyhow  we  are 


t  «i 


I  r  I; 


39^> 


J'ARTHEST  NORTH 


\    ' 


\m 


'*!ii.¥J 


having  clear,  bright  weather.     Yes,  it  is  all  very  well — 
loe,   sledge,   read    both    for   instruction    and 


w<-'  snow-snoe 
amusement,  wi 
smoke,  play  chess,  eat  a 


observations,  play  cards,  chat, 
nd  drink;  but  all  the  same  it  is 
an  execrable  life  in  the  long-run,  this  —  at  least,  so  it 
seems  to  mc  at  times.  When  I  look  at  the  picture  of  our 
beautiful  hoi.ie  in  the  evening  light,  with  my  wife  stand- 
iiiir  in  the  carden,  I  feel  as  if  it  were  impossible  that  this 
could  go  on  much  longer.  Hut  only  the  merciless  fates 
know  when  we  shall  stand  there  together  again,  feeling  all 
life's  sweetness  as  we  look  out  over  the  smiling  fjord,  and 
.  .  .  Taking  everything  into  calculation,  if  I  am  to  be  per- 
fectly honest,  I  think  this  is  a  wretched  state  of  matters. 
We  are  now  in  about  80  north  latitude,  in  Septti..ber  we 
were  in  79°;  that  is,  let  us  say,  one  degree  for  five  months. 
If  we  go  on  at  this  rate  we  shall  be  at  the  Pole  in  forty-five, 
or  say  fifty,  months,  and  in  ninety  or  one  hundred  months 
at  80°  north  latitude  on  the  other  side  of  it,  with  probably 
some  prospect  of  getting  out  of  the  ice  and  home  in  a 
month  or  two  more.  At  best,  if  things  go  on  as  they  are 
doing  now,  we  shall  be  home  in  eight  years.  I  remember 
Brogger  writing  befon;  I  left,  when  I  was  planting  small 
bushes  and  trees  in  the  garden  for  future  generations, 
that  no  one  knew  what  length  of  shadows  these  trees 
would  cast  by  the  time  I  came  back.  Well,  they  are 
lying  under  the  winter  snow  now,  but  in  spring  they  will 
shoot  and  orrow  a«;ain — hnw  often.''  Oh!  at  times  this 
inactivity  crushes  one's   very  soul ;  one's   life  seems   as 


immmm 


|«p**NA-..ft»#»*F'4i_-V--fc^-^»*^-^^;'r;-»A*^*<^'5i'-4»K*,v^-^^^ 


p^^.?..»rf»-vi-*i«t-B 


TJIE   WINTER  NIGHT 


397 


dark  as  the  winter  night  outside;  there  is  sunh'ght  upon 
no  part  of  it  except  the  past  and  the  far,  far  distant  future. 
I  feel  as  if  I  must  break  through  this  deadness,  this  in- 
ertia,  and  find  some  outlet  for  my  energies.     Can't  some- 
thnig  happen  ?     Coukl  not  a  hurricane  come  and  tear  up 
this   ire,  and  set   it  rolHng  in  liigh  waves  like  the  open 
sea?      A'elcomc  danger,  if  it  only  brings  us  the  chance 
of  fighting  for  our  lives  — only   lets   us    move   onward! 
The  miserable  thing  is  lo  be  inactive  onlookers,  not  to  be 
able  to  lift  a  hand  to  help  ourselves  forward.     It  wants 
ten  times  more  strength  of  mind  to  sit  still  and  trust  in 
your  theories  and  let  nature  work  them  out  without  your 
being  able  so  much  as  to  lay  one  stick  across  another  to 
help,  than  it  does  to  trust  in  working  them  out  by  your 
own   energ) — that   is  nothing  when   you  have  a  pair  of 
strong  arms.     Here    I   sit,  whining  like  an   old  woman. 
Did  I  not  know  all  this  before  I  started?     Things  have 
not  gone  worse   than    I   expected,  but,  ow   the  contrary, 
rather  better.     Where  is  now  the  serene  hopefulness  that 
spread  itself  in  the  daylight  and  the  sun  ?     Where  are 
those  proud  imaginings   now  that   mounted  like  young 
eagles    towards    the  brightness    of    the    future?       Like 
broken-winged,  wet  crows   they  leave  the  sunlit  sea,  and 
hide   themselves  in   the    misty  marshes  of  despondency. 
Perhaps  it  will  all  come  back  again  with  the  south  wind  ; 
but,  no — I  must  go  and  rummage  up  one  of  the  old  phi- 
losophers again. 

"  There  is  a  little  pressure   this   evening,  and  an  ob- 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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FARTHEST  NORTH 


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servation    just    taken    seems    to    indicate    a    drift   of   3' 
south. 

"  1 1  P.M.  Pressure  in  the  opening  astern.  The  ice 
is  cracking  and  squeezing  against  the  ship,  making  it 
shake. 

"  Monday,  February  19th.  Once  more  it  may  be  said 
that  the  night  is  darkest  just  before  the  dawn.  Wind 
began  to  blow  from  the  south  to-day,  and  has  reached  a 
velocity  of  13  feet  per  second.  We  did  some  ice-boring 
this  morning,  and  found  that  the  ice  to  port  is  5  feet 
1 1|  inches  (1.875  metres)  thick,  with  a  layer  of  about 
\\  inches  of  snow  over  it.  The  ice  forward  was  6  feet 
7^  inches  (2.08  metres)  thick,  but  a  couple  of  inches  of 
this  was  snow.  This  cannot  be  called  much  growth  for 
quite  a  month,  when  one  thinks  that  the  temperature  has 
been  down  to  58°  Fahr.  below  zero. 

"  Both  to-day  and  yesterday  we  have  seen  the  mirage 
of  the  sun  again ;  to-day  it  was  high  above  the  horizon, 
and  almost  seemed  to  assume  a  round,  disk-like  form. 
Some  of  the  others  maintain  that  they  have  seen  the 
upper  edge  of  the  sun  itself ;  Peter  and  Bentzen,  that 
they  have  seen  at  least  half  of  the  disk,  and  Juell  and 
Hansen  declare  that  the  whole  of  it  was  above  the 
horizon.  I  am  afraid  it  is  so  long  since  they  saw  it 
that  they  have  forgotten  what  it  is  like. 

"  Tuesday,  February  20th.  Great  sun  festival  to-day 
without  any  sun.  We  felt  certain  we  should  see  it,  but 
there  were  clouds  on  the   horizon,     However,  we  were 


THE    IVJNTER  NIGHT 


399 


not  going  to  be  cheated  out  of  our  festival ;  we  can  hold 
another  on  the  occasion  of  really  seeing  it  for  the  first 
time.     We    began    with    a  grand    rifle   practice   in    the 
morning;    then    there    was   a   dinner   of    three   or   four 
courses    and    '  Fram  wine,'  otherwise   lime-juice,  coffee 
afterwards  with  ^  Fram  cake.'     In  the  evening  pineapple, 
cake,  figs,  bananas,  and  sweets.     We  go  off  to  bed  feel- 
ing that  we  have  over-eaten  ourselves,  while  half  a  gale 
from  the  S.E.  is  blowing  us  northward.      The  mill  has 
been  going  to-day,  and  though  the  real  sun  did  not  come 
to    the    festival,    our   saloon    sun    lighted    up    our  table 
both  at  dinner  and  supper.     Great  face-washing  in  honor 
of   the   day.     The  way  we   are   laying   on   flesh   is  get- 
ting serious.     Several  of  us  are  like  prize  pigs,  and  die 
bulge  of   cook   Juell's  cheeks,  not   to    mention    another 
part  of  his  body,  is  quite  alarming.     I  saw  him  in  profile 
to-day,  and   wondered    how    he  would    ever   manage    to 
carry  such  a  corporation  over  the  ice  if  we  should  have 
to  turn  out  one  of  these  fine  days.     Must  begin  to  think 
of  a  course  of  short  rations  now. 

"Wednesday,  February  21st.  The  south  wind  con- 
tinues. Took  up  the  bag-nets  to-day  which  were  put 
out  the  day  before  yesterday.  In  the  upper  one,  which 
hung  near  the  surface,  there  were  chiefly  amphipoda  ; 
in  Murray's  net,  which  hung  at  about  50  fathoms'  depth, 
there  was  a  variety  of  small  Crustacea  and  other  small 
animals  shining  with  such  a  strong  phosphorescence  that 
the  contents  of  the  net  looked  like  glowing  embers  as  I 


ft    . 

1  'T 

^  ;l 

n 

',1; 


f 


400 


K4KTHEST  NORTH 


•1 


■"1:      W 


^;  ;1 


(■f 


emptied   them   out   in    the   cook's   galley  by  lamplight 
To    my  astonishment   the    net- line   pointed    northwest, 
though  from  the  wind  there  ought  to  be  a  good  northerly 
drift.     To  clear  this  matter  up    I   let  the  net  down  in 
the  afternoon,  and  as  soon  as  it  got  a  little  way  under 
the  ice  the  line  pointed  northwest  again,  and  continued 
to  do  so  the  whole  afternoon.     How  is   this  phenome- 
non to  be  explained  }     Can  we,  after  all,  be  in  a  current 
moving  northwest.?     Let  us  hope  that  the  future  will 
prove  such  to  be  the  case.      We   can   reckon   on    two 
points  of  variation  in  the  compass,  and  in  that  case  the 
current  would  make  due  N.N.VV.     There  seems  to  be 
strong  movement  in  the  ice.     It  has  opened  and  formed 
channels  in  several  places. 

"  Thursday,  February  22d.     The  net-line  has  pointed 
west   all    day  till    now,  afternoon,  when    it   is   pointing 
straight    up    and    down,  and    we    are   presumably  lying 
still.     The  wind  slackened  to-day  till  it  was  quite  calm 
in  tlie  afternoon.     Then  there  came  a  faint  breeze  from 
the  southwest  and  from  the  west,  and  this  evening  the 
long-dreaded  northwester  has  come  at  last.     At  9  i'.m. 
it  is  blowing  pretty  hard   from    N.N.W.     ...     observa- 
tion of  Capella  taken  in  the  afternoon   would  seem  to 
show  that  we  are  in  any  case  not  farther  north  than  80° 
11',  and  this  after  ahnost  four  days'  south  wind.     What- 
ever can  be  the  meaning  of  this.?     Is  there  dead-water 
under  the  ice,  keeping  it  from  going  either  forward  or 
backward.?      The    ice    to    starboard    cracked    yesterday, 


..^A,  ^.  ■  ^..t^f^^iintu 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


401 


away  beyond  the  bear-trap.  The  thickness  of  the  soh'd 
floe  was  1 1 A  feet  (345  metres),  but,  besides  this,  other 
ice  was  packed  on  to  it  below.  Where  it  was  broken 
across,  the  floe  showed  a  marked  stratified  formation, 
recalHng  the  stratification  of  a  glacier.  Even  the  darker 
and  dirtier  strata  were  there,  the  color  in  this  rase  pro- 
duced by  the  brownish. red  organisms  that  inhabit  the 


DIAGRAMS    OF    ICE    WITH    I.AVE 


RS 


water,  specimens  of  which  I  found  at  an  earlier  date. 
In  several  places  the  strata  were  bent  and  broken,  ex- 
actly in  the  same  manner  as  the  geological  strata  form- 
ing the  earth's  crust.  This  was  evidently  the  result  of 
the  horizontal  pressure  in  the  ice  at  the  time  of  pack- 
ing. It  was  especially  noticeable  at  one  place,  near  a 
huge    mound    formed   during  the   last  pressure.      Here 


% 


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i  m 

IM 


\  if 


402 


FARTHES'r  NORTH 


Wl 


the  strata  looked  very  much  as  they  are  represented  in 
the  annexed  drawing.* 

It  was  extraordinary  too  to  see  how  this  floe  of  over 
three  yards  in  thickness  was  bent  into  great  waves  vvitii- 
out  breaking.  This  was  clearly  done  by  pressure,  and 
was  specially  noticeable,  more  particularly  near  the  press- 
ure-ridges, which  had  forced  the  floe  down  so  that  its 
upper  surface  lay  even  with  the  water-line,  while  at 
other  places  it  was  a  good  half-yard  above  it,  in  these 
last  cases  thrust  up  by  ice  pressed  in  below.  It  all 
shows  how  extremely  plastic  these  floes  are,  in  spite  of 
the  cold;  the  temperature  of  the  ice  near  the  surface 
must  have  been  from  4°  Fahr.  to  22°  Fahr.  below  zero 
(-20°  to  -30°  C.)  at  the  time  of  these  pressures.  In 
many  places  the  bending  had  been  too  violent,  and  the 
floe  had  cracked.  The  cracks  were  often  covered  with 
loose  ice,  so  that  one  could  easily  enough  fall  into  them, 
just  as  in  crossing  a  dangerous  glacier. 

"  Saturday,  February  24th.  Observations  to-day  show 
us  to  be  in  79°  54'  north  latitude,  132'  57'  east  longitude. 
Strange  that  we  should  have  come  so  far  south  when  the 
north  or  northwest  wind  only  blew  for  twenty-four  hours. 

"Sunday,  February  25th.  It  looks  as  if  the  ice  were 
drifting  eastward  now.  Oh!  I  see  pictures  of  summer 
and  green  trees  and  rippling  streams.  I  am  readinc^  of 
valley  and  mountain  life,  and  I  grow  sick  at  heart  and 

*  In  spite  of  this  bending  of  tiie  strata,  the  surface  of  the  ice  and  snow 
remained  even. 


■'"j»-»^'"»FW>f  Afxitmmism^taim 


THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


403 


enervated.  Why  dwell  on  such  things  just  now?  It  will 
be  many  a  long  day  before  we  can  see  all  that  again. 
We  are  going  at  the  miserable  pace  of  a  snail,  but  not 
so  surely  as  it  goes.  We  carry  our  house  with  us ;  but 
what  we  do  one  day  is  undone  the  next. 

"  Monday,  February  26th.     We  are  drifting  northeast. 
A  tremendous  snow-storm  is  going  on.     The  wind  has  at 
times  a  velocity  of  over  35  feet  per  second;  it  is  howling 
in  the  rigging,  whistling  over  the  ice,  and  the  snow  is 
drifting  so  badly  that  a  man  might  be  lost  in  it  quite 
near  at  hand.     We  are  sitting  here  listening  to  the  howl- 
ing in  the  chimney  and  in  the  ventilators,  just  as  if  we 
were  sitting  in  a  house  at  home  in  Norway.     The  wincrg 
of  the  windmill   have  been  going  round  at  such  a  rate 
that  you  could  hardly  distinguish  them ;  but  we  have  had 
to  stop  the  mill  this  evening  because  the  accumulators 
are  full,  and  we  fastened  up  the  wings  so  that  the  wind 
might  not  destroy  them.     We  have  had  electric  light  for 
almost  a  week  now. 

"  This  is  the  strongest  wind  we  have  had  the  whole 
winter.  If  anything  can  shake  up  the  ice  and  drive  us 
north,  this  must  do  it.  Hut  the  barometer  is  falling  too 
fast;  there  will  be  north  wind  again  presently.  Hope 
has  been  disappointed  too  often;  it  is  no  longer  elastic; 
and  the  gale  makes  no  great  impression  on  me.  I  look 
forward  to  spring  and  summer,  in  suspense  as  to  what 
change  they  will  bring.  Hut  the  Arctic  night,  the  dread- 
ed Arctic  night,  is  over,  and  we  have  daylicvht  once  ao-ain 


Irll 


t:  ii ; 


<'.S\'% 


'N 


m 


i'i 


404 


J'ARTJfEST  NORTH 


i    : 


I  must  say  tliat  I  sec  no  appearance  of  the  sunken, 
wasted  faces  which  this  night  ought  to  have  produced; 
in  the  clearest  dayh'ght  and  the  brightest  sunshine  I  can 
only  discover  plump,  comfortable -looking  ones.  It  is 
curious  enough,  though,  about  the  light.  We  used  to 
think  it  was  like  real  day  down  here  when  the  incan- 
descent lamps  were  burning ;  but  now,  coming  down 
from  the  day'ight,  though  they  may  be  all  lit,  it  is  like 
coming  into  a  cellar.  When  the  arc  lamp  has  been 
burning  all  day,  as  it  has  to-day,  and  is  then  put  out  and 
its  place  supplied  by  the  incandescent  ones,  the  effect  is 
much  the  same. 

"Tuesday,  February  27th.  Drifting  E.S.E.  My 
pessimism  is  justified.  A  strong  west  wind  has  blown 
almost  all  day;  the  barometer  is  low,  but  has  begun  to 
rise  unsteadily.  The  temperature  is  the  highest  we  have 
had  all  winter;  to-dav's  maximum  is  is  Fahr.  above  zero 
(-9.7'  C).  At  S  P.M.  the  thermometer  stood  at  7'  Fahr. 
below  zero  (-22°  C).  The  temperature  ri::,  \s  and  falls 
almost  exactly  conversely  with  the  barometer.  This  after- 
noon's observation  places  us  in  about  80°  10'  north  lati- 
tude. 

"  Wednesday,  February  28th.  Beautiful  weather  to- 
day, almost  still,  and  temperature  only  about  15"  Fahr.  to 
22  Fahr.  below  zero  (—26°  to  —30°  5'  C).  There  were 
clouds  in  the  south,  so  that  not  much  was  to  be  seen 
of  the  sun  ;  but  it  is  light  wonderfully  long  already. 
Sverdrup  and    I   went  snow-shoeing  after  dinner  —  the 


THE   WINTER   NJGJfT 


405 


first  time  this  year  that  \vc  have  been  able  to  do 
anything  of  the  kind  in  the  afternoon.  We  made  at- 
tempts  to  pump  yesterday  and  to-day;  there  ought  to 
be  a  little  water,  but  the  pump  would  not  suck,  though 
we  tried  both  warm  water  and  salt.  Possibly  there  is 
water  frozen  round  it,  and  possibly  there  is  no  water  at 
all.  In  the  engine-room  there  has  been  no  appearance 
of  water  for  more  than  a  month,  and  none  comes  into 
the  forehold,  especially  now  that  the  bow  is  raised  up  by 
the  pack-ice;  so  if  there  is  any  it  can  only  be  a  little 
in  the  hold.  This  tightening  may  be  attributed  chietiy 
to  the  frost. 

"  The  wind  has  begun  to  blow  again  from  the  S.S.W. 
this  evening,  and  the  barometer  is  falling,  which  ought 
to  mean  good  wind  coming;  but  the  barometer  of  hojDe 
does  not  rise  above  its  normal  height.  I  had  a  bath  this 
evening  in  a  tin  tub  in  the  galley;  trimmed  and  clean, 
one  feels  more  of  a  human  beincr. 

"Thursday,  March  ist.  We  are  lying  almost  still. 
Beautiful  mild  weather,  only  2. I'  Fahr.  below  zero  (-19' 
C),  sky  overcast;  light  fall  of  snow,  and  light  wind.  We 
made  attempts  to  sound  to-dav,  having  lengthened  our 
hemp  line  with  a  single  strand  of  steel.  This  broke  off 
with  the  lead.  We  put  on  a  new  lead  and  the  whole  line 
ran  out,  about  2000  fathoms,  without  touching  bottom, 
so  far  as  we  could  make  out.  In  process  of  hauling  in, 
the  steel  line  broke  again.  So  the  results  are:  no  bot- 
tom, and  two  sounding-leads,  each  of  100  pounds'  weight, 


i 


V    i 


400 


F^lRTHRST  AORTII 


making  their  way  clown.  Goodness  knows  if  they  have 
reached  the  bottom  yet.  I  declare  I  feel  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  Bentzcn  is  right,  and  that  it  is  the  hole  at  the 
earth's  axis  we  are  trying  to  sDund, 

"  Friday,  March  2d.  The  pups  have  lived  until  now 
in  the  chart-room,  and  have  done  all  the  mischief  there 
that  they  could,  gnawing  the  cases  of  Hansen's  instru- 
ments, the  log-books,  etc.  They  were  taken  out  on  deck 
yesterday  for  the  first  time,  and  to-day  they  have  been 
there  all  the  morning.  They  are  of  an  inquiring  turn  of 
mind,  and  examine  everything,  being  specially  interest- 
ed in  the  interiors  of  all  the  kennels  in  this  new,  large 
town. 

■  Sunday,  March  4th.  The  drift  is  still  strong  south. 
There  is  northwesterly  wind  to-day  again,  but  not  quite 
so  much  of  it.  I  expected  we  had  come  a  long  way 
south,  but  yesterday's  observation  still  showed  79°  54' 
north  latitude.  We  must  have  drifted  a  good  way  north 
during  the  last  days  before  this  wind  came.  The  weather 
yesterday  and  to-day  has  been  bitter,  35"  Fahr.  and  36.1° 
Fahr.  below  zero  (-37'  and  -38"  C),  with  sometimes  as 
much  as  35  feet  of  wind  per  second,  must  be  called  cool. 
It  is  curious  that  now  the  northerly  winds  bring  cold,  and 
the  southerly  warmth.  Earlier  in  the  winter  it  was  just 
the  opposite. 

"  Monday,  March  5th.  Sverdrup  and  I  have  been  a 
long  way  northeast  on  snow-shoes.  The  ice  was  in  good 
condition   for  it;    the  wind  has  tossed   about  the  snow 


ac. 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


407 


finely,  covering  over  the  pressure  -  ridge  as  far   as   the 
scanty  supply  of  material  has  permitted. 

"  Tuesday,  March  6th.  No  drift  at  all.  It  has  been 
a  bitter  day  to-day,  47^  Fahr.  to  50  Fahr.  below  zero 
(-44"  to  -46"  C),  and  wind  up  to  19  feet.  This  has 
been  a  good  occasion  for  getting  hands  and  face  frost- 
bitten, and  one  or  two  have  taken  advantage  of  it. 
Steady  northwest  wind.  1  am  beginning  to  get  indif- 
ferent and  stolid  as  far  as  the  wind  is  concerned.  I 
photographed  Johansen  to-day  at  the  anemometer,  and 
during  the  process  his  nose  was  frost-bitten. 

''There   has   been  a  general  weighing  this  evening 
again.     These  weighings  are  considered  very  interesting 
performances,  and  we  stand  watching  in  suspense  to  see 
whether  each  man   has  gained  or  lost.      Most  of  them 
have  lost  a  little  this  time.     Can  it  be  because  we  have 
stopped  drinking  beer  and  begun  lime-juice?     But  Juell 
goes  on   indefatigably— he  has  gained   nearly  a  pound 
this  time.     Our  doctor  generally  does  very  well  in  this 
line  too,  but  to-day  it  is  only  10  ounces.     In  other  ways 
he  is  badly  off  on  board,  poor  fellow— not  a  soul  will  turn 
ill.     In  despair  he  set  up  a  headache  yesterday  himself, 
but  he  could  not  make  it  last  over  the  night.     Of  late 
he  has  taken  to  studying  the  diseases  of  dogs ;  perhaps 
he  may  find  a   more   profitable   practice  in  this  depart- 
ment. 

"Thursday,  March  8th.      Drifting  south.     Sverdrup 
and  I  had  a  good  snow-shoeing  tri])  to-day,  to  the  north 


%  m 


1% 


-,ii' 


: 


408 


FAKTllESr  NORTJt 


iH 


'  ii 


1 


and  west.     The  snow  was  in  sj)Iencli(l  condition  ;iftcr  the 
winds;  you  fly  alonL;  h"kc  thistledown  before  a  breeze,  and 
can  get  about  everywhere,  even  over  the  worst  pressure- 
mounds.     The  weather  was  beautiful,  temperature  only 
38^^  Fahr.  below  zero  (-39"  C.) ;    but  this  evening  it   is 
quite  bitter  again,  55    Fahr.  (-4.S.5    C)  and  from    16   to 
26  feet  of  wind.     It  is  by  no  means  pleasant  work  stand- 
ing up  on  the  windmill,  reefing  or  taking  in  the  sails;  it 
means  aching  nails,  and  sometimes  frost-bitten  cheeks; 
but  it  has  to  be  done,  and  it  is  done.     There  is  plenty  of 
'mill-wind'  in  the  daytime  now— this  is  the  third  week 
we  have  had  electric  light —  but  it  is  wretched   that  it 
should  be  always  this  north  and  northwest  wind ;  good- 
ness only  knows  when  it  is  going  to  stop.     Can  there 
be  land  north  of  us.?    We  are  drifting  badly  south.    It  is 
hard  to  keep  one's  faith  alive.       There  is  nothing  for  it 
but  to  wait  and  see  what  time  will  do. 

"  After  a  long  rest  the  ship  got  a  shake  this  afternoon. 
I  went  on  deck.  Pressure  was  going  on  in  an  opening 
just  in  front  of  the  bow.  We  might  almost  have  expected 
it  just  now,  as  it  is  new  moon ;  only  we  have  got  out  of 
the  way  of  thinking  at  all  about  the  spring  tides,  as  they 
have  had  so  little  effect  lately.  They  should  of  course 
be  specially  strong  just  now,  as  the  equinox  is  approach- 


ing. 


"Friday,  March  9th.  The  net -line  pointed  slightly 
southwest  this  morning;  but  the  line  attached  to  a 
cheese  which  was  only  hanging  a  few  fathoms  below  the 


■  --^-  *■  -fj-^iftiiA-rft  --,■ 


JOHANSKN    RKADING    THE    ANEMOMETKR 
[From  a  /i/iotof^m/i/,) 


t 


' 


■ini 


i'.^^ 


,.ir        ■     ■■    '■ 


y: 


'  -^u> 


.1  k 


J 


H 


THE   IVINTKR   NIGHT 


411 


ice  to  thaw  faster,  seemed  to  point  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. Had  we  got  a  southerly  current  together  with 
the  wind  now?  H'm!  in  that  case  something  must 
come  of  it !  Or  was  it,  perhaps,  only  the  tide  setting 
that  way? 

"  Still  the  same  northerly  wind ;  we  are  steadily  bear- 
ing south.     This,  then,  is  the  change  I  hoped  the  March 
equinox  would  bring!     We  have  been  having  northerly 
winds  for  more  than  a  fortnight.     I  cannot  conceal  from 
myself   any  longer    that    I    am    beginning    to    despond. 
Quietly  and  slowly,  but   m.ercilessly,  one  hope  after  the 
other  is  being  crushed  and  .  .  .  have  I  not  a  right  to  be 
a  little  despondent?     I  long  unutterably  after  home,  per- 
haps I  am  drifting  away  farther  from  it,  perhaps  nearer; 
but  anyhow  it  is  not  cheering  to  see  the  realization  of 
one's  plans  again  and  again  delayed,  if  not  annihilated 
altogether,  in  this  tedious  and  monotonously  killing  way. 
Nature   goes   her  age-old   round    impassively;    summer 
changes    into    winter;    spring   vanishes    away;  autumn 
comes,  and  finds    us   still  a  mere  chaotic  whirl    of  dar- 
ing  projects    and    shattered    hopes.     As    the   wheel    re- 
volves, r    \  die  one  and  now  the  other  comes  to  the  top 
— but  niL  iiory  bet'veenwhiles  li^jhtly  touches  her  rinoin<'- 
silver  chords  — now   loud  like  a  roaring  waterfall,  now- 
low  and  soft  like  far  off  sweet  music.     I  stand  and  look 
out  ov-ei   this  desolate  expanse  of  ice  with  its  plains  and 
heights  and  valleys,  formed  by  the  pressure  arising  from 
the  shiftin-    tidal   currents  of  winter.     The  sun  is  now 


AMi 


I! 


m^ 


11 


i 


i!t 


:■:•* 


1 

't 

1 

If  ' 

.V 

1 

;  !  ■ 

1 

j     ' 

412 


FARTHEST  I\JOBTH 


shining  over  them  with  his  cheering  beams.  In  the 
middle  h'es  the  Fram,  hemmed  in  immovably.  When, 
my  proud  ship,  will  you  float   free   in   the  open  water 


again  } 


" '  Ich  schau  dich  an,  und   Wehmuth, 
Schleicht  mir  in's  Herz  hinein." 


Over  these  masses  of  ice,  drifting  by  paths  unknown,  a 
human   pondered  and    brooded    so  long   that  he  put  a 
whole  people  in  motion  to  enable  him  to  force  his  way  in 
among  them  -  a  people  who  had  plenty  of  other  claims 
upon  their  energies.     For  what  purpose  all  this  to-do.? 
If   only   the    calculations    were    correct    these    ice-floes 
would  be  glorious  —  nay,  irresistible  auxiliaries.     But  if 
there  has  been  an  error  in  the  calculation— well,  in  that 
case  they  are   not  so  pleasant  to  deal  with.     And  how 
often  does  a  calculation  come  out  correct.?     But  were  I 
now  free  ?     \\1iy,  I  should  do  it  all  over  again,  from  the 
same  starting-point.     One  must  persevere  till  one  learns 
to  calculate  correctly. 

"  I  laugh  at  the  scurvy ;  no  sanatorium  better  than 
ours. 

"  I  laugh  at  the  ice;  we  are  living  as  it  were  in  an  im- 
pregnable castle. 

"  I  laugh  at  the  cold ;  it  is  nothing. 

"But  I  do  not  laugh  at  the  winds;  they  are  every, 
thing;  they  bend  to  no  man's  will. 

"  But  why  a)  ways  worry  about  the  future  ?  Why  dis- 
tress yourself  as  to  whether  you  r.re  drifting  forward  or 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT 


413 


backward  ?  Why  not  carelessly  let  the  days  glide  by 
like  a  peacefully  flowing  river?  every  now  and  then  there 
will  come  a  rapid  that  will  quicken  the  lazy  flow.  Ah  ! 
what  a  wondrous  contrivance  is  life — one  eternal  hurry- 
ing forward,  ever  forward  —  to  what  end  ?  And  then 
comes  death  and  cuts  all  short  before  the  goal  is  reached. 

"  I  went  a  long  snow-shoe  tour  to-day.  A  litde  way 
to  the  north  there  were  a  good  many  newly  formed  lanes 
and  pressure-ridges  which  were  hard  to  cross,  but  patience 
overcomes  everything,  and  I  soon  reached  a  level  plain 
where  it  was  delightful  going.  It  was,  however,  rather 
cold,  about  54°  Fahr.  below  zero  (  —  48°  C.)  and  16  feet  of 
wind  from  N.N.E.,  but  I  did  not  feel  it  much.  It  is 
wholesome  and  enjoyable  to  be  out  in  such  weather.  I 
wore  only  ordinary  clothes,  such  as  I  might  wear  at  home, 
with  a  sealskin  jacket  and  linen  outside  breeches,  and  a 
half-mask  to  protect  the  forehead,  nose,  and  cheeks. 

"There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  ice -pressure  in 
different  directions  to-day.  Oddly  enough,  a  meridian 
altitude  of  the  sun  gave  79'  45'.  We  have  therefore 
drifted  only  8'  southward  during  the  four  days  since 
March  4th.  This  slow  drift  is  remarkable  in  spite  of 
the  high  winds.  If  there  should  be  land  to  the  north  t 
I  begin  more  and  more  to  speculate  on  this  possibility. 
Land  to  the  north  would  explain  at  once  our  not  pro- 
gressing northward,  and  the  slowness  of  our  southward 
drift.  But  it  may  also  possibly  arise  from  the  fact  of  the 
ice  being  so  closely  packed   together,  and  frozen  so  thick 


:t 


s  n 


I     '  H 


111 


^iiy 


414 


FARTHEST  NO  A' 777 


|i  ■  . 


I    ,  I 


and  massive.  It  seems  strange  to  me  that  there  is  so 
much  northwest  wind,  and  hardly  any  from  the  northeast, 
though  the  latter  is  what  the  rotation  of  the  earth  would 
lead  one  to  expect.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  wind  merely 
shifts  between  northwest  and  southeast,  instead  of  be- 
tween southwest  and  northeast,  as  it  ought  to  do.  Unless 
there  is  land  I  am  at  a  loss  to  find  a  satisfactory  expla- 
nation, at  all  events,  of  this  northwest  direction.  Does 
Franz  Josef  Land  jut  out  eastward  or  northward,  or  does 
a  continuous  line  of  islands  extend  from  Franz  Josef 
Land  in  one  or  other  of  those  directions.?  It  is  by  no 
means  impossible.  Directly  the  Austrians  o-ot  far  enough 
to  the  north  they  met  with  prevailing  winds  from  the 
northeast,  while  we  get  northwesterly  winds.  Does  the 
central  point  of  these  masses  of  land  lie  to  the  north, 
midway  between  our  meridian  and  theirs  ?  I  can  hardly 
believe  that  these  remarkably  cold  winds  from  the  north 
are  engendered  by  merely  passing  over  an  ice -covered 
sea.  If,  indeed,  there  is  land,  and  we  get  hold  of  it,  then 
all  our  troubles  would  be  over.  Hut  no  one  can  tell  what 
the  futuic  may  bring  forth,  and  it  is  better,  perhaps,  not 
to  know. 

"Saturday,  March  loth.  The  line  shows  a  drift 
northward;  now,  too,  in  the  afternoon,  a  slight  southerly 
breeze  has  sprung  up.  .As  usual,  it  has  done  me  good  to 
put  my  despondency  on  paper  and  get  rid  of  it.  To-day 
I  am  in  good  spirits  again,  and  can  indulge  in  happy 
dreams  of  a  large  and  high  land  in  the  north  with  moun- 


THE    WINTER   NJGHT 


41S 


tains  and  valleys,  where  we  can  sit  under  the  mountain 
wall,  roast  ourselves  in  the  sun,  and  see  the  spring  come. 
And  over  its  inland  ice  we  can  make  our  way  to  the  very 
Pole. 

"Sunday,  March  nth.     A  snow-shoe  run  northward. 
Temperature  -50"  C.  (58°  Ivihr.  below  zero),  and  10  feet 
wind  from  N.N.I^.     We  did  not  feel  the  cold  very  much, 
thouo-h  it  was  rather  bad  for  the  stomach  and  thighs,  as 
none  of  us  had  our  wind  trousers*  on.  We  wore  our  usu- 
al dress  of  a  j)air  of  ordinary  trousers  and  woollen  pants, 
a  shirt,  and  wolfskin  cloak,  or  a  common   woollen  suit 
with  a  light  sealskin  jacket  over  it.     For  the  first  time  in 
my  life  I  felt  my  thighs  frozen,  especially  just  over  the 
knee,  and  on  the  kneecap ;  my  companions  also  suffered 
in  the  same  way.     This   was  after  going  a  long  while 
against  the  wind.     We  rubbed  our  legs  a  little,  and  they 
soon  got  warm  again;  but  had  we  kept  on  much  longer 
without  noticing  it  we  should   probably  have  been  se- 
verely frost-bitten.     In  other  respects  we  did  not  suffer 
the  least  inconvenience  from  the  cold     on  the  contrary^ 
found  the  temperature  agreeable;  and   I  am  convinced 
that    \o\   20",  or  even    30'    lower  would   not  have   been 
unendurable.      It  is  strange  how  one's  sensations  alter. 
When  at  home,  I  find  it  unpleasant  if  I  only  go  out-of- 
doors  when  there  are  some  20  degrees  of  cold,  even  in 
calm  weather.     But  here  I  don't  find  it  any  colder  when 

*  So  we  callef]  some  liglit  trousers  of  tiiiii  close  cotton,  which  wc  used 
as  a  protection  against  the  wind  and  snow. 


!  I 

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FARTHEST  NORTH 


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I  turn  out  in  50  degrees  of  cold,  with  a  wind  into  the 
bargain.  Sitting  in  a  warm  room  at  home  one  gets  ex- 
aggerated ideas  about  the  terribleness  of  the  cold.  It  is 
really  not  in  the  least  terrible ;  we  all  of  us  find  ourselves 
very  well  in  it,  though  sometimes  one  or  another  of  us  does 
not  take  quite  so  long  a  walk  as  usual  when  a  strong 
wind  is  blowing,  and  will  even  turn  back  for  the  cold ; 
but  that  is  when  he  is  only  lightly  clad  and  has  no  wind 
clothes  on.  This  evening  it  is  51.2°  Fahr.  below  zero, 
and  14A  feet  N.N.E.  wind.  Brilliant  northern  lights  in 
the  south.  Already  there  is  a  very  marked  twilight  even 
at  midnight. 

"  Monday,  March  1 2th.  Slowly  drifting  southward. 
Took  a  long  snow-shoe  run  alone,  towards  the  north ; 
to-day  had  on  my  wind  breeches,  but  found  them  almost 
too  warm.  This  morning  it  was  51.6°  Fahr.  below  zero, 
and  about  13  feet  N.  wind;  at  noon  it  was  some  degrees 
warmer.  Ugh  !  this  north  wind  is  freshening ;  the  barom- 
eter has  risen  again,  and  I  had  thought  the  wind  would 
have  changed,  but  it  is  and  remains  the  same. 

"  This  is  what  March  brings  us  —  the  month  on  which 
my  hopes  relied.  Now  I  must  wait  for  the  summer. 
Soon  the  half-year  will  be  past,  it  will  leave  us  about  in 
the  same  place  as  when  it  began.  Ugh!  I  am  weary  — 
so  weary !  Let  me  sleep,  sleep !  Come,  sleep !  noise- 
lessly close  the  door  of  the  soul,  stay  the  flowing  stream 
of  thought!  Come  dreams,  and  let  the  sun  beam  over 
the  snowless  strand  of  Godthaab  ! 


THE    WINTER   NIGHT 


417 


"Wednesday,  March   14th.     In  the  evening  the  dogs 
all  at  once  began  to  bark,  as  we  supposed  on  account  of 
bears.     Sverdrup  and  I  took  our  guns,  let  '  Ulenka'  and 
'Pan'  loose,  and  set  off.      There   was  twilight  still,  and 
the  moon,  moreover,  began   to  shine.     No  sooner  were 
the  dogs  on  the  ice  than  off  they  started  westward  like  a 
couple  of  rockets,  we  after  them  as  quickly  as  we  could. 
As  I  was  jumping  over  a  lane  I  thrust  one  leg  through 
the  ice  up  to  the  knee.     Oddly  enough,  I  did  not  get  wet 
through  to  the  skin,  though  I  only  had  Finn  shoes  and 
frieze  gaiters  on  ;  but  in  this  temperature,  38°  Fahr.  below 
zero  (-39°  C),  the  water  freezes  on  the  cold  cloth  be- 
fore it  can  penetrate  it.     I  felt  nothing  of  it  afterwards ;  it 
became,  as  it  were,  a  plate  of  ice  armor  that  almost  helped 
to  keep  me  v.arm.     At  a  channel  some  distance  off  we 
at  last  discovered  that  it  was  not  a  bear  the  dogs  had 
winded,  but  either  a  walrus  or  a  seal.     We  saw  holes  in 
several  places  on  the  fresh-formed  ice  where  it  had  stuck 
its  head  through.     What  a  wonderfully  keen  nose  those 
dogs  must  have:  it  was  quite  two-thirds  of  a  mile  from 
the  ship,  and  the  creature  had  only  had  just  a  little  bit 
of  its  snout  above  the  ice.     We  returned  to  the  ship  to 
get  a  harpoon,  but  saw  no  more  of  the  animal,  though 
we    went    several    times    up    and    down    the    channel. 
Meanwhile  '  Pan,'  in  his  zeal,  got  too  near  the  edge  of 
the  lane  and  fell  into  the  water.     The  ice  was  so\igh 
that  he  could  not  get  up  on  it  again  without  help,  and  if 
I  had  not  been   there  to  haul   him  up  I  am  afraid  he 


'     <1 

iiiij 


4i8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


would  have  been  drowned.  He  is  now  lying  in  the 
saloon,  and  making  himself  comfortable  and  drying 
himself.  But  he,  too,  did  not  get  wet  through  to  the 
skin,  though  he  was  a  good  time  in  the  water:  the  inner 
hair   of   his    close,  coarse   coat  is  quite   dry  and  warm. 


TWO    FRIENDS 

(By  A.  Block,  fyom  a  Photograph) 

The  dogs  look  on  it  as  a  high  treat  to  come  in  here, 
for  they  are  not  often  allowed  to  do  so.  They  go 
round  all  the  cabins  and  look  out  for  a  comfortable 
corner  to  lie  down  in. 

"  Lovely  weather,  almost  calm,  sparklingly  bright,  and 


>s- 


THE   WJNTER  NIGHT 


419 


moonshine :  in  the  north  the  faint  flush  of  evening,  and 
the  aurora  over  the  southern  sky,  now  like  a  row  of 
flaming  spears,  then  changing  into  a  silvery  veil,  un- 
dulating  in  wavy  folds  with  the  wind,  every  here  and 
there  interspersed  with  red  sprays.  These  wonderful 
night  effects  are  ever  new,  and  never  fail  to  captivate 
the  soul." 

"  Thursday,  March  15th.  This  morning  41.7°,  and  at 
8  P.M.  40.7°  Fahr.  below  zero,  while  the  daytime  was  rath- 
er warmer.  At  noon  it  was  40.5^  and  at  4  p.m.  39°  Fahr. 
below  zero.  It  would  almost  seem  as  if  the  sun  began 
to  have  power. 

•'  The  dogs  are  strange  creatures.  This  evening  they 
are  probably  sweltering  in  their  kennels  again,  for  four 
or  five  of  them  are  lying  outside  or  on  the  roof.  When 
there  are  50  degrees  of  cold  most  of  them  huddle  together 
inside,  and  lie  as  close  to  one  another  as  possible.  Then, 
too,  they  are  very  loath  to  go  out  for  a  walk;  they  prefer 
to  lie  in  the  sun  under  the  lee  of  the  ship.  But  now 
they  find  it  so  mild  and  such  pleasant  walking  that  to-day 
it  was  not  difficult  to  get  them  to  follow. 

"Friday,  March  i6th.  Sverdrup  has  of  late  been 
occupied  in  making  sails  for  the  ship's  boats.  To-day 
there  was  a  light  southwesterly  breeze,  so  we  tried  one 
of  the  sails  on  two  hand-sledges  lashed  together.  It  is 
first-rate  sailing,  and  does  not  require  much  wind  to 
make  them  glide  along.  This  would  be  a  great  assist- 
ance  if  we  had  to  go  home  over  the  ice. 


i 


;! 


iti 

420 


I'AKTIIESl'  AORTJI 


w 


:.  .\ 


"Wednesday,  March  21st.     At  length  a  reaction  has 
set  in :  the  wind  is  S.E.  and  there  is  a  strong  drift  north- 
ward  again.     The  equinox  is  past,  and  we  are  not  one 
degree  farther  north  since  the  last  equinox.     I  wonder 
where  the  next  will  find  us.     Should  it  be  more  to  the 
south,  then  victory  is  uncertain  ;  if  more  to  the  north,  the 
battle   is   won,  though   it  may  last   long.     I  am  looking 
forward  to  the  summer;  it  must  bring  a  change  with  it. 
The  open  water  we  sailed  in  up  here  cannot  possibly  be 
produced  by  the  melting  of  the  ice  alone;  it  must  be  also 
due  to  the  winds  and  current.     And  if  the  ice  in  which 
we  are  now  drifts  so  far  to  the  north  as  to  make  room 
for  all   this  open  water,  we  shall  have  covered  a  jiood 
bit  on  our  way.     It  would  seem,  indeed,  as  if  summer 
must  bring  northerly  winds,  with  the  cold  Arctic  Sea  in 
the  north  and  warm  Siberia  in  the  south.     This  makes 
me  somewhat  dubious ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have 
warm  seas  in  the  west:  they  may  be  stronger;    and  the 
Jeanncttc,  moreover,  drifted  northwest. 

"  It  is  strange  that,  notwithstanding  these  westerly 
winds,  we  do  not  drift  eastward.  The  last  longitude  was 
only  135°  east  longitude. 

"  Maundy  Thursday,  March  2 2d.  A  strong  south- 
easterly wind  still,  and  a  good  drift  northward.  Our 
spirits  are  rising.  The  wind  whistles  throuuh  the  rio-crino- 
overhead,  and  sounds  like  the  sough  of  victory  through 
the  air.  In  the  forenoon  one  of  the  puppies  had  a  severe 
attack  of  convulsions;  it  foamed  at  the  mouth  and   bit 


■:l 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


421 


:ing 


furiously  at  everything  round  it.  It  ended  with  tetanus, 
and  we  carried  it  out  and  laid  it  down  on  the  ice.  It 
hopped  about  like  a  toad,  its  legs  stiff  and  extended, 
neck  and  head  pointing  upward,  while  its  back  was 
curved  like  a  saddle.  I  was  afraid  it  might  be  hydropho- 
bia or  some  other  infectious  sickness,  and  sho.  it  on  the 


'■m 


EXPKRIMKNT    IN    SLKHGE    SAILING 

{/■'■•'III  :l    rluHO!;r.i/'li) 


:| 


I 


J'» 


'.I 


433 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


spot.  Perhaps  I  was  rather  too  hasty;  we  can  scarcely 
have  any  infection  among  us  now.  Hut  what  could  it 
have  been.?  Was  it  an  epileptic  attack  ?  The  other  day 
one  of  the  other  puppies  alarmed  me  by  running  round 
and  round  in  the  chart-house  as  if  it  were  mad,  hiding 
itself  after  a  time  between  a  chest  and  the  wall.  Some 
of  the  others,  too,  had  seen  it  do  the  same  thing;  but 
after  a  while  it  got  all  right  again,  and  for  the  last  few 
days  there  has  been  nothing  amiss  with  it. 

"  Good  Friday,  March  23d.  Noonday  observation 
gives  80"  north  latitude.  In  four  days  and  nights  we 
have  drifted  as  far  north  as  we  drifted  southward  in 
three  weeks.  It  is  a  comfort,  at  all  events,  to  know  that ! 
"  It  is  remarkable  how  quickly  the  nights  have  grown 
light.  Even  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  can  now  barely 
manage  to  twinkle  in  the  pale  sky  at  midnight. 

"Saturday,  March  24th.  Easter  Eve.  To-day  a 
notable  event  has  occurred.  We  have  allowed  the  light 
of  spring  to  enter  the  saloon.  During  the  whole  of  the 
winter  the  skylight  was  covered  with  snow  to  keep  the 
cold  out,  and  the  dogs'  kennels,  moreover,  had  been 
placed  round  it.  Now  we  have  thrown  out  all  the  snow 
upon  the  ice,  and  the  panes  of  glass  in  the  skylight  have 
been  duly  cleared  and  cleaned. 

"  Monday,  March  26th.  We  are  lying  motionless— no 
drift.  How  long  will  this  last.?  Last  equinox  how  proud 
and  triumphant  I  was !  The  whole  world  looked  bright ; 
but  now  I  am  proud  nc  longer. 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


4*3 


"  The  sun  mounts  up  and  bathuh  the  ite-plain  with  its 
radiance.  Spring  is  coming,  but  brings  no  joys  with  it. 
Here  it  is  as  lonely  and  cold  as  evtr.  One's  soul  freezes. 
Seven  more  years  of  such  life— or  say  only  four— how 
will  the  soul  appear  then  ?  And  she  ...  ?  If  I  dared  to 
let  my  longings  loose— to  let  my  soul  thaw.  Ah  !  I  long 
more  than  1  dare  confess. 

"  I   have  not  courage  to  think  of  the  future And 

how  will  It  be  at  home,  when  year  after  year  rolls  by  and 
no  one  comes  ? 

"  I  know  this  is  all  a  morbid  mood ;  but  still  this 
inactive,  lifeless  monotony,  without  any  change,  wrings 
one's  very  soul.  No  struggle,  no  possibility  of  struggle  ! 
All  is  so  still  and  dead,  so  stiff  and  shrunken,  under 
the  mantle  of  ice.  Ah  !  .  .  .  the  very  soul  freezes.  What 
would  I  not  give  for  a  single  day  of  struggle— for  even  a 
moment  of  danger ! 

"  Still  I  must  wait,  and  watch  the  drift;  but  should  it 
take  a  wrong  direction,  then  I  will  break  all  the  bridges 
behind  me,  and  stake  everything  on  a  northward  march 
over  the  ice.  I  know  nothing  better  to  do.  It  will  be  a 
hazardous  journey— a  matter,  maybe,  of  life  or  death.  But 
have  I  any  other  choice  } 

"  It  is  unworthy  of  a  man  to  set  himself  a  task,  and 
tlen  give  in  when  the  brunt  of  the  battle  is  upon  him. 
There  is  but  one  way,  and  that  is  /V^w— forward. 

"Tuesday,  March  27th.  We  are  again  drifting 
southward,  and  the  wind  is  northerly.     The  midday  ob- 


'M 


I  :' 


SI'. 


I 


424 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


N     , 


SI 


1  \ 


;»i 


servation  showed  80°  4'  north  latitude.  But  why  so  dis- 
pirited ?  I  am  staring  myself  blind  at  one  single  point- 
am.  thinking  solely  of  reaching  the  Pole  and  forcing  our 
way  through  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  And  all  the  time 
our  real  task  is  to  explore  the  unknown  po^ar  reoions. 
Are  we  doing  nothing  in  the  service  of  science?  It  will 
be  a  goodly  collection  of  observations  that  we  shall  take 
home  with  us  from  this  region,  with  which  we  are  now 
rather  too  well  acquainted.  The  rest  is,  and  remains,  a 
mere  matter  of  vanity.  '  Love  truth  more,  and  victory 
less.' 

"  I  look  at  Eilif  Peterssen's  picture,  a  Norwegian  pine 
forest,  and  I  am  there  in  spirit.  How  marvellously 
lovely  it  is  there  now,  in  the  spring,  in  the  dim,  melan- 
choly stillness  that  reigns  among  the  stately  stems !  I 
can  feel  the  damp  moss  in  which  my  foot  sinks  softly  and 
noiselessly ;  the  brook,  released  from  the  winter  bondage, 
is  murmuring  through  the  clefts  and  among  the  rocks, 
with  its  brownish-yellow  water;  the  air  is  full  of  the  scent 
of  moss  and  pine-needles;  while  overhead,  against  the 
light-blue  sky,  the  dark  pine-tops  rock  to  and  fro  in  the 
spring  breeze,  ever  uttering  their  murmuring  wail,  and 
beneath  their  shelter  the  soul  fearlessly  expands  its  wings 
and  cools  itself  in  the  forest  dew. 

"  O  solemn  pine  forest,  the  only  confidant  of  my  child- 
hood, it  was  from  you  I  learned  nature's  deepest  tones — 
its  wildness,  its  melancholy!    You  colored  my  soul  for  life. 


"Alone — far  in  the  forest- 


-beside  the  glowing  embers 


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SWfn.7i^sJj!it7.'-i^ 


AT    TlIK    COMING    OF    THE    SPRING.       MARCH,    1 894 

(h'rotii  11  /<hotof;rafh) 


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■ 

THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


427 


of  my  fire  on  the  shore  of  the  silent,  murky  woodland 
tarn,  with  the  gloom  of  night  overhead,  how  happy  I  used 
to  be  in  the  enjoyment  of  nature's  harmony ! 

"Thursday,  March  29th.  It  is  wonderful  what  a 
change  it  makes  to  have  daylight  once  more  in  the  sa- 
loon. On  turning  out  for  breakfast  and  seeing  the  light 
gleaming  in,  one  feels  that  it  really  is  morning. 

"  We  are  busy  on  board.     Sails  are  being  made  for  the 
boats  and  hand-sledges.      The  windmill,  too,  is  to  have 
fresh  sails,  so  that  it  can  go  in  any  kind  of  weather.     Ah, 
if  we  could  but  give  the  Fram  wings  as  well !      Knives' 
are  being  forged,  bear-spears  which  we  never  have  any 
use  for,  bear-traps  in  which  we  never  catch  a  bear,  axes, 
and  many  other  things  of  like  usefulness.      For  the  mo- 
ment there  is  a  great  manufacture  of  wooden  shoes  going 
on,  and  a  newly  started  nail-making  industry.     The  only 
shareholders  in  this  company  are  Sverdrup  and  Smith 
Lars,  called  '  Storm  King,'  because  he  always  comes  upon 
us  like  hard  weather.     The  output  is  excellent  and  is  in 
active  demand,  as  all  our  small  nails  for  the  hand-sledge 
fittings  have  been   used.      Moreover,  we  are  very  busy 
putting  German-silver  plates  under  the  runners  of  the 
hand-sledges,  and  providing  appliances  for  lashing  sledges 
together.     There  is,  moreover,  a  workshop  for  snow-shoe 
fastenings,  and  a  tinsmith's  shop,  busied  for  the  moment 
with  repairs  to  the  lamps.      Our  doctor,  too,  for  lack  of 
patients,  has  set  up  a  bookbinding  establishment  which  is 
greatly  patronized  by  the  Fram's  library,  whereof  several 


J    ill 


m 


\ 


i 


1  '    vvtik 

■  '  p '9fl 

'ifl 

428 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


books  that  are  in  constant  circulation,  such  as  Gjest 
Baardsens  Liv  og  Levnet,  etc.,  are  in  a  very  bad  state. 
We  have  also  a  saddlers'  and  sail-makers' workshop,  a  pho- 
tographic studio,  etc.  The  manufacture  of  diaries,  how- 
ever, is  the  most  extensive — every  man  on  board  works  at 
that.  In  fine,  there  is  nothing  between  heaven  and  earth 
that  we  cannot  turn  out— excepting  constant  fair  winds. 

"  Our  workshops  can  be  highly  recommended;   they 
turn  out  good  solid  work.     We  have  lately  had  a  notable 
addition  to  our  industries,  the  firm  '  Nansen  &  Amund- 
sen '  having  established  a  music-factory.     The  cardboard 
plates  of  the  organ  had  suffered  greatly  from  wear  and 
damp,  so  that  we  had  been  deplorably  short  of  music  dur- 
ing  the  winter.     But  yesterday  I  set  to  work  in  earnest 
to  manufacture  a  plate  of  zinc.     It  answers  admirably, 
and  now  we  shall  go  ahead  with  music  sacred  and  pro- 
fane, especially  waltzes,  and  these  halls  shall  once  more 
resound  with  the  pealing  tones  of  the  organ,  to  our  great 
comfort  and  edification.     When  a  waltz  is  struck  up  it 
breathes  fresh  life  into  many  of  the  inmates  of  the  Fratn. 
"I   complain   of  the  wearing   monotony  of  our  sur- 
roundings;   but  in   reality  I   am   unjust.     The  last  few 
days,  dazzling  sunshine  over  the  snow-hills;  to-day,  snow- 
storm and  wind,  the  Fram  enveloped  in  a  whirl  of  foam- 
ing white  snow.     Soon  the  sun  appears  again,  and  the 
waste  around  gleams  as  before. 

"  Here,  too,  there  is  sentiment  in  nature.     How  often, 
when  least  thinking  of  it,  do  I  find  myself  pause,  spell- 


f;        i 


n 

H 
G 

7: 

Z 

o 

a 
o 

> 
-•I 
H 
M 

JO 

en 
2: 

M 
H 


> 

n 


Oj 


ir 


|:  h 

m 

m 

A 

1 

i'lf 


:  m 

ill 

^'H 

'  1,  ifm 

It '  I 


t, 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


431 


bound  by  the  marvellous  hues  which  evening  wears. 
The  ice -hills  steeped  in  bluish -violet  shadows,  against 
the  orange  -  tinted  sky,  illumined  by  the  glow  of  the 
setting  sun,  form  as  it  were  a  strange  color -poem, 
imprinting  an  ineffaceable  picture  on  the  soul.  And 
these  bright,  dream -like  nights,  how  many  associations 
they  have  for  us  Northmen !  One  pictures  to  one's  self 
those  mornings  in  spring  when  one  went  out  into  the 
forest  after  blackcock,  under  the  dim  stars,  and  with  the 
pale  crescent  moon  peering  over  the  tree-tops.  Dawn, 
with  its  glowing  hues  up  here  in  the  north,  is  the  breaking 
of  a  spring  day  over  the  forest  wilds  at  home ;  the  hazy 
blue  vapor  beneath  the  morning  glow  turns  to  the  fresh 
early  mist  over  the  marshes ;  the  dark  low  clouds  on  a 
background  of  dim  red  seem  like  distant  ranges  of  hills. 

"Daylight  here,  with  its  rigid,  lifeless  whiteness,  has  no 
attractions;  but  the  evening  and  night  thaw  the  heart  of 
this  world  of  ice ;  it  dreams  mournful  dreams,  and  you 
seem  to  hear  in  the  hues  of  the  evening  sounds  of  its 
smothered  wail.  Soon  these  will  cease,  and  the  sun  will 
circle  round  the  everlasting  light-blue  expanse  of  heaven, 
imparting  one  uniform  color  to  day  and  night  alike. 

"  Friday,  April  6th.  A  remarkable  event  was  to  take 
place  to-day  which,  naturally,  we  all  looked  forward  to 
with  lively  interest.  It  was  an  eclipse  of  the  sun.  During 
the  night  Hansen  had  made  a  calculation  that  the  eclipse 
would  begin  at  12.56  o'clock.  It  was  important  for  us  to 
be  able  to  get  a  good  observation,  as  we  should  thus  be 


I 


n 


■ ,  'Mi 


i\ 


432 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


X-i  '' 


J!    1 


able  to  regulate  our  chronometers  to  a  nicety.     In  order 
to  make  everything  sure,   we  set  up  our  instruments  a 
couple  of  hours  beforehand,  and  commenced  to  observe. 
We  used  the  large  telescope  and   our  large   theodolite. 
Hansen,  Johansen,  and  myself  took  it  by  turns  to  sit  for 
five  minutes  each  at  the  instruments,  watching  the  rim  of 
the  sun,  as  we  expected  a  shadow  would  become  visible 
on  its  lower  western  edge,  while  another  stood  by  with 
the  watch.     We   remained  thus  full  two  hours  without 
anything  occurring.     The  exciting  moment  was  now  at 
hand,  when,  according  to  calculation,  the  shadow  should 
first  be  apparent.     Hansen  was  sitting  by  the  large  tele- 
scope when   he   thought  he  could  discern   a  quavering 
in   the  sun's   rim;   2>Z  seconds  afterwards  he  cried  out, 
'Now!'    as   did    Johansen   simultaneously.      The    watch 
was  then  at  12  hrs.  56  min.  7.5  sec.     A  dark  body  ad- 
vanced over  the  border  of  the  sun  ^\  seconds  later  than 
we  had  calculated  on.     It  was  an  immense  satisfaction 
for  us  all,  especially  for  Hansen,  for  it  proved  our  chro- 
nometers to  be  in  excellent  order.     Little  by  little  the 
sunlight   sensibly  faded   away,  while  we  went   below  to 
dinner.     At  2  o'clock  the  eclipse  was  at  its  height,  and 
we  could  notice  even  down  in  the  saloon  how  the  day- 
light  had   diminished.     After  dinner   we   observed    the 
moment  when    the  eclipse  ended,  and  the  moon's  dark 
disk  cleared  the  rim  of  the  sun. 

"  Sunday,  April   8th.      I   was   lying   awake  yesterday 
morning  thinking  about  getting  up,  when  all  at  once  I 


1: 


Llf 


o 

cn 

o 


M 
W 

n 
W 

o 

H 

a 

M 

a 


50 


O 


00 


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III 


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lili 


H: 


;-V.  '?| 


.t>i 


if 

llf 

k ' 

1;' 

r, 


1 

pll 

1 

THE   WINTER   NIGHT 


435 


heard    the    hurried  footsteps  of  some  one  running  over 
the   half -deck    above    me,   and   then   another  followed. 
There  was  something  in  those    footsteps    that    involun- 
tarily made  me  think  of  bears,  and  I  had  a  hazy  sort  of 
an  idea  that  I  ought  to  jump  up  out  of  bed,  but  I  lay 
still,  listening  for  the  report  of  a  gun.     I  heard  nothing, 
hovv'ever,  and    soon    fell    a -dreaming    again.     Presently 
Johansen  came  tearing  down  into  the  saloon,  crying  out 
that   a    couple    of   bears  were    lying  half  or  quite  dead 
on  the  large  ice  hummock  astern  of  the  ship.     He  and 
Mogstad  had  shot  at  them,  but  they  had  no  more  car- 
tridges  left.    Several  of  the  men  seized  hold  of  their  guns 
and  hurried  up.     I   threw  on  my  clothes  and  came  up 
a  little  after,  when   I  gathered  that  the  bears  had  taken 
to  flight,  as  I  could  see  the  other  fellows  following  them 
over  the  ice.     As  I  was  putting  on  my  snow-shoes  they 
returned,  and  said  that  the  bears  had  made  off.     How- 
ever,  I  started  after  them  as  fast  as  my  snow-shoes  would 
take  me  across  the  floes  and  the  pressure-ridges.     I  soon 
got  on   their  tracks,  which  at  first  were  a  little  blood- 
stained.    It  was  a  she-bear,  with  her  cub,  and,  as  I  be- 
lieved, hard  hit  —  the  she-bear  had  fallen   down  several 
times  after  Johansen's  first  bullet.     I  thought,  therefore, 
it  would  be  no  difficult  matter  to  overtake  them.    Several 
of  the  dogs  were  on  ahead  of  me  on  their  tracks.     They 
had  taken  a  northwesterly  course,  and  I  toiled  on,  perspir- 
ing profusely  in  the  sun,  while  the  ship  sank  deeper  and 
deeper  down  below  the  horizon.    The  surface  of  the  snow, 


I-' 


m 


•  41 


436 


FARTUESl'  NORTH 


t.i' 


K'M 


%u. 


% 


sparkling  with  its  eternal  whiteness  all  around  me,  tried 
my  eyes  severely,  and    I  seemed   to  get   no  nearer  the 
bears.     My    i)rosi)ects   of   coming    up    with    them    were 
ruined  by  the  dogs,  who  were  keen  enough  to  frighten 
the  bears,  but  not  so  keen  as  to  press  on  and  bring  them 
to  bay.     I  would  not,  however,  give  up.     Presently  a  fog 
came  on  and  hid  everything  from  view  except  the  bear- 
tracks,   which  steadily  pointed  forward;    then   it    lifted, 
and  the  sun  shone  out  again  clear  and  bright  as  before. 
The  Fram's  masts  had  long  since  disappeared  over  the 
edge  of  the  ice,  but  still  I  kept  on.     Presently,  however,  I 
began  to  feel  faint  and  hungry,  for  in  my  hurry  I  had  not 
even  har'  my  breakfast,  and  at  last  had  to  bite  the  sour 
apple  and  turn  back  without  any  bears. 

"  On  my  way  I  came  across  a  remarkable  hummock. 
It  was  over  20  feet  in   height  (I  could  not  manage  to 
measure  it  quite  to  the  top) ;   the  middle  part  had  fallen 
in,  probably  from  pressure  of  the  ice,  while  the  remaining 
part  formed  a  magnificent  triumphal  arch  of  the  whitest 
marble,  on  which  the  sun  glittered  with  all  its  brilliancy. 
Was  it  erected  to  celebrate  my  defeat .?     I  got  up  on   it 
to  look  out  for  the  Fram,  but  had  to  go  some  distance 
yet  before  I  could  see  her  rigging  over  the  horizon.     It 
was  not  till   half-past  five  in  the  afternoon  that  I  found 
myself  on  board  again,  worn  out  and  famished  from  this 
sudden  and  unexpected  excursion.     After  a  day's  fasting 
I   heartily  relished   a  good   meal.     During  my  absence 
some  of  the  others  had  started  after  me  with  a  sledt^-e  to 


1  >  ■  ii 


THE   WINTER  A/GJ/T 


437 


draw  home  the  dead  bears  that  I  had  shot;  but  they  had 
barely  reached  the  spot  where  the  encounter  had  taken 
|)Iace,  when  Johansen  and  lilessint;,  who  were  in  advance 
of  the  others,  saw  two  fresh  bears  spring  up  from  behind 
a  hummock  a  Httle  way  off.  lUit  before  they  could  i;et 
their  guns  in  readiness  the  bears  were  out  of  range  ;  so  a 
new  hunt  began.  Johansen  tore  after  them  in  his  snow- 
shoes,  but  several  of  the  dogs  got  in  front  of  him  and 
kept  the  bears  going,  so  that  he  could  not  get  within 
range,  and  his  chase  ended  as  fruitlessly  as  mine. 

"  Has  good-luck  abandoned  us?  I  had  plumed  myself 
on  our  never  having  shot  at  a  single  bear  without  bag- 
ging it;  but  to-day.  .  .!  Odd  that  we  should  get  a  visit 
from  four  bears  on  one  day,  after  having  seen  nothing  of 
them  for  three  months!  Does  it  signify  something? 
Have  we  got  near  the  land  in  the  northwest  which  I  have 
so  long  expected  ?  There  seems  to  be  change  in  the  air. 
An  observation  the  day  before  yesterday  gave  80'  15' 
north  latitude,  the  most  northerly  we  have  had  yet. 

"Sunday,  April  15th.  So  we  are  in  the  middle  of 
April  !  What  a  ring  of  joy  in  that  word,  a  well-spring  of 
happiness!  Visions  of  spring  rise  up  in  the  soul  at  its 
very  mention  —  a  time  when  doors  and  windows  are 
thrown  wide  open  to  the  spring  air  and  sun,  and  the 
dust  of  winter  is  blown  away;  a  time  when  one  can  no 
longer  sit  still,  but  must  perforce  go  out-of-doors  to 
inhale  the  perfume  of  wood  and  field  and  fresh  -  dug 
earth,   and    behold    the    fjord,    free   from    ice,  sparkling 


I  I'  { 


¥■ 


^.:m 


438 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\ 


in   the   sunlight.     What   an  inexhaustible    fund   of  the 
awakening  joys  of  nature  does  that  word  April  contain ! 
But  here — here  that  is  not  to  be  found.     True,  the  sun 
shines  long  and  bright,  but  its  beams  fall  not  on  forest 
or  mountain  or  meadow,  but  only  on  the  dazzling  white- 
ness of  the  fresh-fallen  snow.     Scarcely  does  it  entice  one 
out  from  one's  winter  retreat.     This  is  not  the  time  of 
revolutions  here.     If  they  come   at  all,  they  will  come 
much   later.     The  days    roll  on  uniformly  and  monoto- 
nously; here  I  sit,  and  feel  no  touch  of  the  restless  long- 
ings of  the  spring,  and  shut  myself  up  in  the  snail-shell  of 
my  studies.    Day  after  day  I  dive  down  into  the  world 
of  the  microscope,  forgetful  of  time  and  surroundings. 
Now  and  then,  indeed,  I   may  make  a  little  excursion 
from    darkness   to   light  —  the    daylight    beams   around 
me,  and  my  soul  opens  a  tiny  loophole  for  light  and 
courage   to   enter  in  —  and  then  down,  down   into  the 
darkness,  and  to  work  once  more.     Before  turning   in 
for  the  night  I  must  go  on  deck.     A  little  while  ago 
the  daylight  would  by  this  time   have  vanished,  a  few 
solitary  stars  would  have  been    faintly  twinkling,  while 
the  pale  moon  shone  over  the  ice.     But  now  even  this 
has  come  to  an  end.     The  sun  no  longer  sinks  beneath 
the  icy  horizon ;  it  is  continual  day.     I  gaze  into  the  far 
distance,  far  over  the  barren  plain  of  snow,  a  boundless, 
silent,  and  lifeless  mass  of  ice  in  imperceptible  motion. 
No  sound  can  be  heard  save  the  faint  murmur  of  the  air 
through  the  rigging,  or  perhaps  far  away  the  low  rumble 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


439 


of  packing  ice.  In  the  midst  of  this  empty  waste  of  white 
there  is  but  one  little  dark  spot,  and  that  is  the  Fram. 

"  But  beneath  this  crust,  hundreds  of  fathoms  down, 
there  teems  a  world  of  checkered  life  in  all  its  changing 
forms,  a  world  of  the  same  composition  as  ours,  with  the 
same  instincts,  the  same  sorrows,  and  also,  no  doubt,  the 
same  joys ;  everywhere  the  same  struggle  for  existence. 
So  it  ever  is.  If  we  penetrate  within  even  the  hardest 
shell  we  come  upon  the  pulsations  of  life,  however  thick 
the  crust  may  be. 

"  I  seem  to  be  sitting  here  in  solitude  listening  to 
the  music  of  one  of  Nature's  mighty  harp-strings.  Her 
grand  symphonies  peal  forth  through  the  endless  ages  of 
the  universe,  now  in  the  tumultuous  whirl  of  busy  life, 
now  in  the  stiffening  coldness  of  death,  as  in  Chopin's 
Funeral  March ;  and  we  —  we  are  the  minute,  invisible 
vibrations  of  the  strings  in  this  mighty  music  of  the 
universe,  ever  changing,  yet  ever  the  same.  Its  notes 
are  worlds;  one  vibrates  for  a  longer,  another  for  a 
shorter  period,  and  all  in  turn  give  way  to  new  ones.  .  .  . 

"The  world  that  shall  be !  .  .  .  Again  and  again  this 
thought  comes  back  to  my  mind.  I  gaze  far  on  through 
the  ages.  .  .  . 

"  Slowly  and  imperceptibly  the  heat  of  the  sun  de- 
clines, and  the  temperature  of  the  earth  sinks  by  equally 
slow  degrees.  Thousands,  hundreds  of  thousands,  mill- 
ions of  years  pass  away,  glacial  epochs  come  and  go, 
but  the  heat  still  grows  ever  less;   little  by  little  these 


i  ■  1 


tei 


1  i 


440 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


drifting  masses  of  ice  extend  far  and  wide,  ever  towards 
more  southern  shores,  and  no  one  notices  it;  but  at  last 
all  the  seas  of  earth  become  one  unbroken  mass  of  ice. 
Life  has  vanished  from  its  surface,  and  is  to  be  found  in 
the  ocean  depths  alone. 

"  But  the  temperature  continues  to  fall,  the  ice  grows 
thicker  and  ever  thicker ;  life's  domain  vanishes.     MHIions 
of  years  roll  on,  and  the  ice  reaches  the  bottom.     The 
last  trace  of  life  has  disappeared;  the  earth  is  covered 
with  snow.     All  that  we  lived  for  is  no  longer;  the  fruit 
of  all  our  toil  and  sufferings  has  been  blott-d  out  millions 
and  millions  of  years  ago,  buried  beneath  a  pall  of  snow. 
A  stiffened,  lifeless  mass  of  ice,  this  earth  rolls  on  in  her 
path  through  eternity.     Like  a  faintly   growing  disk  the 
sun  crosses  the  sky;  the  moon  shines  no  more,  and  is 
scarcely  visible.     Yet  still,  perhaps,  the  northern  lights 
flicker   over   the    desert,    icy   plain,   and    still    the   stars 
twinkle    in    silence,  peacefully  as   of    yore.     Some  have 
burnt  out,  but   new  ones  usurp  their  place;  and  round 
them  revolve   new  spheres,  teeming  with   new  life,  new 
sufferings,  without  any  aim      Such  is  the  infinite  cycle  of 
eternity;  such  are  nature's  everlasting  rhythms. 

"  Monday,  April  30th.  Drifting  northward.  Yester- 
day observations  gave  80'  42',  and  to-day  80°  44^'.  The 
wind  steady  from  the  south  and  southeast. 

"  It  is  lovely  spring  weather.  One  feels  that  spring- 
time must  have  come,  though  the  thermometer  denies  it. 
'  Spring  cleaning'  has  begun  on  board;  the  snow  and  ice 


'<    h 


THE   WINTER  NIGHT 


441 


along  the  Fram's  sides  are  cleared  away,  and  she  stands 
out  like  the  crags  from  their  winter  covering  decked  with 
the  flowers  of  spring.  The  snow  lying  on  the  deck  is 
little  by  little  shovelled  overboard  ;  her  rigging  rises  up 
against  the  clear  sky  clean  and  dark,  and  the  gilt  trucks 
at  her  mastheads  sparkle  in  the  sun.  We  go  and  bathe 
ourselves  in  the  broiling  sun  along  her  warm  sides,  where 
the  thermometer  is  actually  above  freezing-point,  smoke  a 
peaceful  pipe,  gazing  at  the  white  spring  clouds  that 
lightly  fleet  across  the  blue  expanse.  Some  of  us  perhaps 
think  of  spring-time  yonder  at  home,  when  the  birch- 
trees  are  bursting  into  leaf." 


I  I 


'V>'l 


■  .'A 


I 


K\ 


CHAPTER    VII 


I 


III 


THE    SPRING   AND   SUMMER    OF    1 894 

So  came  the  season  which  we  at  home  call  spring,  the 
season  of  joy  and  budding  life,  when   Nature  awakens 
after  her  long  winter  sleep.     But  there  it  brought  no 
change;   day  after  day  we  had  to  gaze  over  the  same 
white  lifeless  mass,  the  same  white  boundless  ice-plains. 
Still  we  wavered  between  despondency,  idle  longing,  and 
eager  energy,  shifting  with  the  winds  as  we  drift  for- 
ward to  our  goal  or  are  driven  back  from  it.     As  before, 
I  continued  to  brood  upon  the  possibilities  of  the  future 
and  of  our  drift.     One  day  I  would  think  that  everything 
was  going  on  as  we  hoped  and  anticipated.      Thus  on 
April  17th  I  was  convinced  that  there  must  be  a  current 
through  the  unknown  polar  basin,  as  we  were  unmistaka- 
bly drifting  northward.      The  midday  observation  gave 
80°  20'  northeast ;  that  is,  9'  since  the  day  before  yes- 
terday.    Strange !     A  north  wind   of  four  whole   days 
took    us  to   the  south,  while   twenty-four  hours  of  this 
scanty  wind  drifts  us  9'  northward.     This  is  remarkable; 
it  looks   as  if   we   were  done   with    drifting  southward. 
And  when,  in  addition  to  this,  I  take  into  consideration 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894.  443 


the  Striking  warmth  of  the  water  deep  down,  it  seems 
to  me  that  things  are  really  looking  brighter.  The  rea- 
soning runs  as  follows:  The  temperature  of  the  water 
in  the  East  Greenland  current,  even  on  the  surface,  is 
nowhere  over  zero  (the  mean  temperature  for  the  year), 
and  appears  generally  to  be  -1°  C.  (30.2°  Fahr.),  even 
in  70°  north  latitude.  In  this  latitude  the  temperature 
steadily  falls  as  you  get  below  the  surface;  nowhere 
at  a  greater  depth  than  100  fathoms  is  it  above  -i"  C, 
and  generally  from  -1.5°  (29.3°  Fahr.)  to  -1.7°  C. 
(28.94°  Fahr.)  right  to  the  bottom.  Moreover,  the  bot- 
tom temperature  of  the  whole  sea  north  of  the  60th 
degi-ee  of  latitude  is  under  -1°  C,  a  strip  along  the 
Norwegian  coast  and  between  Norway  and  Spitzbergen 
alone  excepted,  but  here  the  temperature  is  over  -1° 
C,  from  86  fathoms  (160  metres)  downward,  and  135 
fathoms  (250  metres)  the  temperature  is  already  +0.55"" 
C.  (32.99°  Fahr.),  and  that,  too,  be  it  remarked,  north  of 
the  80th  degree  of  latitude,  and  in  a  sea  surrounding 
the  pole  of  maximum  cold. 

This  warm  water  can  hardly  come  from  the  Arctic  Sea 
itself,  while  the  current  issuing  thence  towards  the  south 
has  a  general  temperature  of  about  -1.5°  C.  It  can 
hardly  be  anything  other  than  the  Gulf  Stream  that  finds 
its  way  hither,  and  replaces  the  water  which  in  its  upper 
layers  flows  towards  the  north,  forming  the  sources  of 
the  East  Greenland  polar  current.  All  this  seems  to 
chime  in  with  my  previous  assumptions,  and  supports  the 


i  : 


■Si  ^-i 


'J 


m 


Hi 


444 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


theory  on  which  this  expedition  was  planned.  And 
when,  in  addition  to  this,  one  bears  in  mind  that  the 
winds  scen\,  as  anticipated,  to  be  as  a  rule  southeasterly, 
as  was,  moreover,  the  case  at  the  international  station  at 
Sagastyr  (by  the  Lena  mouth),  our  prospects  do  not  ap- 
pear to  be  unfavorable. 

Frequently,  moreover,  I   thought    I   cou  .t   un- 

mistakable symptoms  of  a  steadily  flowing  no  .vesterly 
current  under  the  ice,  and  then,  of  course,  my  spirits 
rose  ;  but  at  other  times,  when  the  drift  again  bore  south- 
ward— and  that  was  often — my  doubts  would  return,  and 
it  seemed  as  if  there  was  no  prospect  of  getting  through 
within  any  reasonable  time.  Truly  such  drifting  in  the 
ice  is  extremely  trying  to  the  mind;  but  there  is  one 
virtue  it  fosters,  and  that  is  patience.  The  whole  expe- 
dition was  in  reality  one  long  course  of  training  in  this 
useful  virtue. 

Our  progress  as  the  spring  advanced  grew  somewhat 
better  than  it  had  been  during  the  winter,  but  on  the 
whole  it  was  always  the  same  sort  of  crab-like  locomo- 
tion ;  for  each  time  we  made  a  long  stretch  to  the 
north,  a  longer  period  of  reaction  was  sure  to  follow.  It 
was,  in  the  opinion  of  one  of  our  number,  who  was  some- 
what of  a  politician,  a  constant  struggle  between  the 
Left  and  Ri<rht,  between  Progressionists  and  Recession- 
ists.  After  a  period  of  Left  wind  and  a  glorious  drift 
northward,  as  a  matter  of  course  the  "  Radical  Right " 
took  the  helm,  and  we  remained  lying  in  dead-water  or 


THE   srJUNG   A\D   SUMMER    OF  iSg4 


445 


drifted  backward,  thereby  jnittini;  Amundsen  into  a  very 
bad  temper.  It  was  a  remarkable  fact  that  during  the 
whole  time  the  Frauis  bow  turned  towards  the  south, 
generally  S.  ]  W.,  and  shifted  but  very  little  during  the 
whole  drift.  As  I  say  on  May  14th:  "She  went  back- 
ward towards  her  goal  in  the  north,  with  her  nose  ever 
turned  to  the  south.  It  is  as  though  she  shrank  from 
increasing  her  distance  from  the  world;  as  though  she 
were  longing  for  southern  shores,  while  some  invisible 
power  is  drawing  her  on  towards  the  unknown.  Can  it 
be  an  ill  omen,  this  backward  advance  towards  the  inte- 
rior of  the  Polar  Sea.?  I  cannot  think  it;  even  the  crab 
ultimately  reaches  its  goal." 

A  statement  of  our  latitude  and  longitude  on  different 
days  will  best  indicate  the  general  course  of  our  drift: 

May  1st,  80'  46'  N.  lat.;  May  4th,  80"  50';  May  6th; 
80°  49';  May  8th,  80"  55'  N.  lat.,  129"  58'  I'^.  long.;  May 
12th,  80°  52'  N.  lat.;  May  15th,  129"  20'  H.  long.;  May 
2ist,  81"  20  N.  lat.,  125"  45'  K.  long.;  May  23d,  81  26' 
N.  lat.;  May  27th,  Si"  31';  June  2d,  81"  31'  N.  lat.,  121° 
47'  E.  long.;  June  13th,  81°  46' ;  June  i8th,8i"52'.  Up 
to  this  we  had  made  fairly  satisfactory  progress  towards 
the  north,  but  now  came  the  reaction:  June  24th,  81 "" 
42';  July  1st,  81°  33';  July  10th,  81"  20';  July  14th,  81" 
32';  July  18th,  81"  26';  July  31st,  81"  2'  N.  lat.,  126" 
5'  5  "  E.  long.;  August  8th,  81"  8';  August  14th,  81° 
5'  N.  lat.,  127'  38'  E.  long.;  August  26th,  81°  i';  Sep- 
tember 5th,  81°  14'  N.  lat.,  123"  36'  \\.  long. 


Ill 


446 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


After  this  we  began  once  more  to  drift  northward, 
but  not  very  fast. 

As  before,  we  were  constantly  on  the  look-out  for  land, 
and  were  inclined,  first  from  one  thing,  then  from  an- 
other, to  think  we  saw  signs  of  its  proximity;  but  they 
always  turned  out  to  be  imaginary,  and  the  great  depth 
of  the  sea,  moreover,  showed  that,  at  all  events,  land  could 
not  be  near. 

Later  on —  August  7th — when  I  had  found  over 
2085  fathoms  (3850  metres)  depth,  I  say  in  my  diary: 
"  I  do  not  think  we  shall  talk  any  more  about  the  shallow 
Polar  Sea,  where  land  may  be  expected  anywhere.  We 
may  very  possibly  drift  out  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  with- 
out having  seen  a  single  mountain-top.  An  eventful 
series  of  years  to  look  forward  to !" 

The  plan  already  alluded  to  of  travelling  over  the  ice 
with  dogs  and  sledges  occupied  me  a  good  deal,  and  dur- 
ing my  daily  expeditions— partly  on  snow-shoes,  partly 
with  dogs — my  attention  was  constantly  given  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  ice  and  our  prospects  of  being  able  to  make 
our  way  over  it.  During  April  it  was  specially  well 
adapted  for  using  dogs.  The  surface  was  good,  as  the 
sun's  power  had  made  it  smoother  than  the  heavy  drift- 
snow  earlier  in  the  winter;  besides,  the  wind  had  covered 
the  pressure-ridges  pretty  evenly,  and  there  were  not 
many  crevasses  or  channels  in  the  ice,  so  that  one  could 
proceed  for  miles  without  much  trouble  from  them.  In 
May,  however,  a  change  set  in.     So  early  as  May  8th  the 


> 


75 

o 

c 
z 
2 

o 
o 

o 

en 

CO 

> 
H 
S 
O 


I 


i' 


I  ^'!l 


:l! 


1*1 

rli 


THE  SPRING  AND  SUMMER   OF  iSy4  449 


wind  had  broken  up  the  ice  a  good  deal,  and  now  there 
were  lanes  in  all  directions,  which  proved  a  great  obstacle 
when  I  went  out  driving  with  the  dogs.  The  tempera- 
ture, however,  was  still  so  low  that  the  channels  were 
quickly  frozen  over  again  and  became  passable;  but  later 
on  in  the  month  the  temperature  rose,  so  that  ice  was  no 
longer  so  readily  formed  on  the  water,  and  the  channels 
became  ever  more  and  more  numerous. 

On  May  20th  I  write :  "  Went  out  on  snow-shoes  in 
the  forenoon.  The  ice  has  been  very  much  broken  up 
in  various  directions,  owing  to  the  continual  winds  dur- 
ing the  last  week.  The  lanes  are  difficult  to  cross  over, 
as  they  are  full  of  small  pieces  of  ice,  that  lie  dispersed 
about,  and  are  partly  covered  with  drift-snow.  This  is 
very  deceptive,  for  one  may  seem  to  have  firm  ice  under 
one  at  places  where,  on  sticking  one's  staff  in,  it  goes 
right' down  without  any  sign  of  ice."  On  many  occasions 
I  nearly  got  into  trouble  in  crossing  over  snow  like  this 
en  snow-shoes.  I  would  suddenly  find  that  the  snow  was 
giving  way  undgr  me,  and  would  manage  with  no  little 
difficulty  to  get  safely  back  on  to  the  firm  ice. 

On  June  5th  the  ice  and  the  snow  surface  were 
about  as  before.  I  write :  "  Have  just  been  out  on  a 
snow-shoe  excursion  with  Sverdrup  in  a  southerly 
direction,  the  first  for  a  long  while.  The  condition 
of  the  ice  Itas  altered,  but  not  for  the  better;  the  sur- 
face, indeed,  is  hard  and  good,  but  the  pressure  -  ridges 
are  very  awkward,  and  there  are  crevasses  and  hummocks 

2g 


w 


w 


'M 


.lil 


\V 


nil 


ii'ii 


450 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


i     ( 


in  all  directions.     A  sledge  expedition  would  make  poor 
enough  progress  on  such  ice  as  this." 

Hitherto,  however,  progress  had  always  been  possible, 
but  now  the  snow  began  to  melt,  and  placed  almost 
insuperable  difficulties  in  the  way.  On  June  13th  I 
write :  "  The  ice  gets  softer  and  softer  every  day,  and 
large  pools  of  water  are  formed  on  the  floes  all  around 
us.  In  short,  the  surface  is  abominable.  The  snow- 
shoes  break  through  into  the  water  everywhere.  Truly 
one  would  not  be  able  to  get  far  in  a  day  now  should 
one  be  obliged  to  set  off  towards  the  south  or  west.  It 
is  as  if  every  outlet  were  blocked,  and  here  we  stick — 
we  stick.  Sometimes  it  strikes  me  as  rather  remarka- 
ble that  none  of  our  fellows  have  become  alarmed,  even 
when  we  are  bearing  farther  and  farther  northward,  far- 
ther and  farther  into  the  unknown ;  but  there  is  no  sign 
of  fear  in  any  one  of  them.  All  look  gloomy  when 
we  are  bearing  south  or  too  much  to  the  west,  and  all 
are  beaming  with  joy  when  we  are  drifting  to  the  north- 
ward, the  farther  the  better.  Yet  none  of  them  can  be 
blind  to  the  fact  that  it  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death  if 
anything  of  what  nearly  every  one  prophesied  should 
now  occur.  Should  <^he  ship  be  crushed  in  this  ice  and 
go  to  the  bottom,  like  the  Jeannetti\  without  our  being 
able  to  save  sufficient  supplies  to  continue  our  drift  on 
the  ice,  we  should  have  to  turn  our  course  to  the  south^ 
and  then  there  would  be  little  doubt  as  to  our  fate. 
The  JeanneHe  people  fared  badly  enough,  but  their  ship 


ilii 

I* 


o 

M 

I 

r. 
i    w 

S     en 


4   z 


0\ 


OO 


; 


^ilj 


A 


'III 


THE  SPRING  AND   SUMMER   OF  1894  453 


went  down  in  ^f  north  latitude,  while  the  nearest  land  to 
us  is  many  times  more  than  double  the  distance  it  was  in 
their  case,  to  say  nothing  of  the  nearest  inhabited  land. 
We  are  now  more  than  70  miles  from  Cape  Chelyuskin, 
while  from  there  to  any  inhabited  region  we  are  a  long 
way  farther.  But  the  Fram  will  not  be  crushed,  and  no- 
body believes  in  the  possibility  of  such  a.x  event.  We 
are  like  the  kayak-rower,  who  knows  well  enough  that 
one  faulty  stroke  of  his  paddle  is  enough  to  capsize  him 
and  send  him  into  eternity ;  but  none  the  less  he  goes  on 
his  way  serenely,  for  he  knows  that  he  will  not  make  a 
faulty  stroke.  This  is  absolutely  the  most  comfortable 
way  of  undertaking  a  polar  expedition ;  what  possible 
journey,  indeed,  could  be  more  comfortable }  Not  even 
a  railway  journey,  for  then  you  have  the  bother  of  chang- 
ing carriages.  Still  a  change  now  and  then  would  be  no 
bad  thing." 

Later  on— in  July — the  surface  was  even  worse.  The 
floes  were  everywhere  covered  with  slush,  with  water 
underneath,  and  on  the  pressure-ridges  and  between  the 
hummocks  where  the  snow-drifts  were  deep  one  would 
often  sink  in  up  to  the  middle,  not  even  the  snow-shoes 
bearing  one  up  in  this  soft  snow.  Later  on  in  July 
matters  improved,  the  snow  having  gradually  melted 
away,  so  that  there  was  a  firmer  surface  of  ice  to  go  on. 

But  large  pools  of  water  now  formed  on  the  ice-floes. 
Already  on  the  8th  and  9th  of  June  such  a  pool  had 
begun  to  appear  round  the  ship,  so  that  she  lay  in  a  little 


m\ 


M 


III 


;.  ^  S: 


lk5«jJM— ».  *.v*v-A,-*  .*-  >. 


.«-.-«    '■J., 


\hk  '-.i 


\ ' 


m  ii 


111  I ' 


if;iift  , 


454 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


lake  of  fresh  water,  and  we  were  obliged  to  make  use 
of  a  bridge  in  order  to  reach  a  dry  spot  on  the  ice. 
Some  of  these  fresh  -  water  pools  were  of  respectable 
dimensions  and  depth.     There  was  one  of  these  on  the 


SAILING    ON    THE    FRESH-WATER   POOL    (jULY    12,    1894) 

(From  a  Photograph) 

starboard  side  of  the  ship,  so  large  that  in  the  middle 
of  July  we  could  row  and  sail  on  it  with  the  boats. 
This  was  a  favorite  evening  amusement  with  some  of 
us,  and  the  boat  was  fully  oflficered  with  captain,  mate, 
and  second  mate,  but  had  no  common  sailors.     They 


■  4  A~- 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  455 

thought  it  an  excellent  opportunity  of  practising  sailing 
with  a  square  sail;  while  the  rest  of  our  fellows,  standing 
on  the  icy  shore,  found  it  still  more  diverting  to  bombard 
the  navigators  with  snowballs  and  lumps  of  ice.  It 
was  in  this  same  pool  that  we  tried  one  day  if  one  of 
our  boats  could  carry  all  thirteen  of  us  at  once.  When 
the  dogs  saw  us  all  leave  the  ship  to  go  to  the  pool, 
they  followed  us  in  utter  bewilderment  as  to  what  this 
unusual  movement  could  mean ;  but  when  we  sot  into 
the  boat  they,  all  of  them,  set  to  work  and  howled  in 
wild  despair;  thinking,  probably,  that  they  would  never 
see  us  again.  Some  of  them  swam  after  us,  while  two 
cunning  ones,  "  Pan  "  and  "  Kvik,"  conceived  the  brilliant 
idea  of  galloping  round  the  pool  to  the  opposite  side  to 
meet  us.  A  few  days  afterwards  I  was  dismayed  to  find 
the  pool  dried  up;  a  hole  had  been  worn  through  the 
ice  at  the  bottom,  and  all  the  fresh  water  had  drained 
out  into  the  sea.     So  that  amusement  came  to  an  end. 

In  the  summer,  when  we  wanted  to  make  an  excur- 
sion  over  the  ice,  in  addition  to  such  pools  we  met  with 
lanes  in  the  ice  in  all  directions;  but  as  a  rule  could 
easily  cross  them  by  jumping  from  one  loose  floe  to  an- 
other, or  leaping  right  across  at  narrow  places. 

These  lanes  never  attained  any  great  width,  and 
there  was  consequently  no  question  of  getting  the 
Fram  afloat  in  any  of  them  ;  and  even  could  we  have 
done  so,  it  would  have  been  of  very  little  avail,  as 
none   of   them    was    large   enough    to   have    taken    her 


A  ii-; 


if] 

i 


:»: 


! 


t 


11 


'i  ''1 

i 

f 

! 


I  ? 


ill 


Mi 


456 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


5'i 
i  / 


more  than  a  few  cable-lengths  farther  north.  Some- 
times there  were  indications  in  the  sky  that  there  must 
be  large  stretches  of  open  water  in  our  vicinity,  and 
we  could  now  and  then  see  from  the  crow's-nest  large 
spaces  of  clear  water  in  the  horizon;  but  they  could 
not  have  been  large  enough  to  be  of  much  use  when  it 
came  to  a  question  of  pushing  forward  with  a  ship. 

Sanguine  folk  on  board,  however,  attached  more  im- 
portance to  such  open  stretches.  June  15th  I  wrote 
in  my  diary :  "  There  are  several  lanes  visible  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  but  none  of  them  is  wide  or  of  any 
great  extent.  The  mate,  however,  is  always  insist- 
ing that  we  shall  certainly  get  open  water  before  au- 
tumn, and  be  able  to  creep  along  northward,  while 
with  the  rest,  Sverdrup  excepted,  it  seems  to  be  a  gen- 
erally accepted  belief.  Where  they  are  to  get  their  open 
water  from  I  do  not  know.  For  the  rest,  this  is  the  first 
ice-bound  expedition  that  has  not  spent  the  summer 
spying  after  open  water,  and  sighing  and  longing  for  the 
ice  to  disperse.  I  only  wish  it  may  keep  together,  and 
hurry  up  and  drift  northward.  Everything  in  this  life 
depends  on  what  one  has  made  up  one's  mind  to.  One 
person  sets  forth  to  sail  in  open  water,  perhaps  to  the 
very  Pole,  but  gets  stuck  in  the  ice  and  laments ;  another 
is  prepared  to  get  stuck  in  the  ice,  but  will  not  grumble 
even  should  he  find  open  water.  It  is  ever  the  safest 
plan  to  expect  the  least  of  life,  for  then  one  often  gets 
the  most." 


> 

5 
o 

H 
W 

w 

> 

c: 

M 

«3 


a 

r 
PI 

C/3 


I  ;j 


i'^'. 


1;lil 


1  li; 


THE  SPRING  AND  SUMMER   OF  1894  457 

The  open  spaces,  the  Lines,  and  the  rifts  in  the  ice  are, 
of  course,  produced,  like  the  pressure  and  packing,  by 
the  shifting  winds  and  the  tidal  currents  that  set  the  ice 
drifting  first  in  one  direction,  then  in  another.  And  they 
best  prove,  perhaps,  how  the  surface  of  the  Polar  Sea 
must  be  considered  as  one  continuous  mass  of  ice-floes 
in  constant  motion,  now  frozen  together,  now  torn  apart, 
or  crushed  against  each  other. 

During  the  whole  of  our  drift  I  paid  great  attention  to 
this  ice,  not  only  with   respect  to  its  motion,  but  to  its 
formation  and  growth  as  well.     In   the   Introduction  of 
this  book  I  have  pointed  out  that,  even  should  the  ice 
pass  year  after  year  in  the  cold  Polar  Sea,  it  could  not 
by  mere  freezing  attain  more  than  a  certain  thickness. 
From  measurements  that  were  constantly  being  made, 
it  appeared  that  the  ice  which  was  formed  duHng  the' 
autumn  in  October  or  November  continued  to  increase 
in  size  during  the   whole   of  the  winter  and   out   into 
the  spring,  but  more  slowly  the  thicker  it  became.     On 
April   loth  it  was  about  2.31   metres;    April   21st,  2.41 
metres;    May  5th,  2.45  metres;    May  31st,  2.52  metres; 
June  9th,  2.58  metres.     It  was  thus  continually  increas- 
ing in   bulk,  notwithstanding  that  the  snow  now  melted 
quickly  on  the  surface,  and  large  pools  of  fresh  water 
were    formed  on    the  floes.     On    June    20th  the    thick- 
ness was  the  same,  although    the   melting   on    the   sur- 
face had   now  increased  considerably.     On  July  4th  the 
thickness  was  2.57  metres.     On  July  loth  I  was  amazed 


;( 


I 

I     r 


458 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


to  find  that  the  ice  had  increased    to  2.76  metres,  not- 
withstanding that  it  would  now  diminish  several  centi- 
metres daily  from   surface  melting.     I    bored    in    many 
places,  but  found  it  everywhere  the  same  —  a  thin,  some- 
what  loose  ice   mass   lay   under   the   old   floe.     I    first 
thought  it  was  a  thin  ice-floe  that  had  got  pushed  under, 
but  subsequently  discovered  that  it  was  actually  a  new 
formation  of  fresh-water  ice   on   the   lower  side  of  the 
old  ice,  due  to  the  layer  of  fresh  water  of  about  9  feet 
9  inches  (3  metres)  in  depth,  formed  by  the  melting  of 
the  snow  on  the  ice.     Owing  to  its  lightness  this  warm 
fresh  water  floated  on  the  salt  sea-water,  which  was  at  a 
tfimperature   of   about  -1.5°  C.  on    its   surface.      Thus 
by  contact    with    Uie    colder  sea-water  the  fresh  water 
became  cooler,  and  so  a  thick  crust  of  ice  was  formed  on 
the  fresh  water,  where  it  came  in  contact  with  the  salt 
water  lying  underneath  it.     It  was  this  ice  crust,  then, 
that  augmented  the  thickness  of  the  ice  on  its  under  side. 
Later  on  in  the   summer,  however,  the  ice  diminished 
somewhat,  owing  to  melting  on  the  surface.     On  July  23d 
the  old  ice  was  only  2.33  metres,  and  with  the  newly  formed 
layer  2.49  metres.   On  August  loth  the  thickness  of  the  old 
ice  had  decreased  to  1.94  metres,  and  together  the  aggre- 
gate thickness  to  3.1 7  metres.     On  August  2 2d  the  old  ice 
was  1.86  metres,  and  the  aggregate  thickness  3.06  metres. 
On  Septeml  er  3d  the  aggregate  thickness  was  2.02  me- 
tres, and  on  September  30th  1.98  metres.     On  October 
3d  it  was  the  same;   the  thickness  of  the  old  ice  was 


j.-i  .^,.*-  «■ . 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  18^4  459 


then  1.75  metres.    On  October  12th  the  aggregate  thick- 
ness  was  2.08  metres,  while  the  old  ice  was   1.8  metres. 
On  November  loth  it  was  still  about  the  same,  with  only 
a  slight  tendency  to  increase.     Further  on,  in  November 
and  in  December,  it  increased  quite  slowly.     On  Decem- 
ber  nth  the  aggregate  thickness  reached   2.1 1  metres. 
On  January  3d,  1895,  2.32  metres;  January  loth,  2.48  me- 
tres ;   February  6th,  2.59  metres.     Hence  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  ice  does  not  attain  any  enormous  thickness  by 
direct  freezing.     The  packing  caused  by  pressure  can, 
however,  produce  blocks  and  floes   of  a  very  different 
size.     It   often    happens   that   the   floes   get   shoved  in 
under  each  other  in  several  layers,  and  are  frozen  to- 
gether so   as  to  appear  like   one  originally  continuous 
mass  of  ice.     Thus  the  Fram  had  got  a  good  bed  un- 
der her. 

Juell  and  Peter  had  often  disputed  together  during  the 
winter  as  to  the  thickness  of  ice  the  Fram  had  under 
her.  Peter,  who  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  the  ice  before, 
maintained  that  it  must  at  least  be  20  feet  thick,  while 
Juell  would  not  believe  it,  and  betted  20  kroner  that  it 
was  not  as  thick  as  that.  On  April  19th  this  dispute 
again  broke  out,  and  I  say  of  it  in  my  diary:  "Juell  has 
undertaken  to  make  a  bore,  but  unfortunately  our  borer 
reaches  no  farther  than  16  feet  down.  Peter,  however, 
has  undertaken  to  cut  away  the  4  feet  that  are  lacking. 
There  has  been  a  lot  of  talk  about  this  wager  during 
the  whole  winter,  but  they  could   never  agree  about  it. 


it' 


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FARTHEST  NORTH 


Peter  says  that  Juell  should  begin  to  bore,  while  JucU 
mv  tains  that  Peter  ought  to  cut  the  4  feet  first.  This 
evening  it  ended  in  Juell  incautiously  offering  10  kroner 
to  any  one  who  would  bore.  Hentzen  took  him  at  his 
word,  and  immediately  set  to  work  at  it  with  Amundsen ; 
he  thought  one  did  not  always  have  the  chance  of  earn- 
ing 10  kroner  so  easily.  Amundsen  offered  him  ;•,  kroner 
an  hour,  or  else  payment  per  foot;  and  time  payment  was 
finally  agreed  to.  They  worked  till  late  on  into  the 
night,  and  when  they  had  got  down  12  feet  the  borer 
slipped  a  little  way,  and  water  rose  in  the  hole,  but  this 
did  not  come  to  much,  and  presently  the  borer  struck  on 
ice  again.  They  went  on  for  some  time,  but  now  the 
borer  would  reach  no  farther,  and  Peter  had  to  be  called 
up  to  cut  his  four  feet.  He  and  Amundsen  worked  away 
at  cutting  till  they  were  dripping  with  perspiration. 
Amundsen,  as  usual,  was  very  eager,  and  vowed  he  would 
not  give  in  till  he  had  got  through  it,  even  if  it  were  30 
feet  thick.  Meanwhile  Bentzen  had  turned  in,  but  a  mes- 
sage was  sent  to  him  to  sav  that  the  hole  was  cut,  and 
that  boring  could  now  begin  again.  When  it  was  only  an 
inch  or  an  inch  and  a  half  short  of  20  feet  the  borer 
slipped  through,  and  the  water  spurted  up  and  filled  the 
hole.  They  now  sank  a  lead-line  down  it,  and  at  30  feet 
it  again  brought  up  against  ice.  Now  they  were  obliged 
to  give  it  up.  A  fine  lump  of  ice  we  are  lying  on  !  Not 
taking  into  account  a  large,  loose  ice-floe  that  is  lying 
packed  up  on  the  ice,  it  is  16  inches  above  the  water;  and 


tff. 


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THR  SPRING  AND  SUMMER   OF  tS(;4 


463 


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adding  to  this  the  2  feet  which  the  Fram  is  raised  up 
above  the  ice,  there  is  no  small  distance  between  her  and 
the  water." 

The  temperature  on  the  ice  in  summer  is  about  thaw- 
ing-point,  but  gradually  as  the  winter  cold  comes  on,  it, 
of  course,  falls  rapidly  on  the  surface,  whence  the  cold 
slowly  penetrates  deeper  and  deeper  down  towards  the 
lower  surface,  where  it  naturally  keeps  at  an  even  temper- 
ature with  the  underlying  water.  Observations  of  the 
temperature  of  the  ice  in  its  different  layers  were  con- 
stantly taken  in  order  to  ascertain  how  quickly  this  cool- 
ing-down process  of  the  ice  took  place  during  the  winter, 
and  also  how  the  temperature  rose  again  towards  spring. 
The  lowest  temperature  of  the  ice  occurred  in  March  and 
the  beginning  of  April,  when  at  1.2  metres  it  was  about 
3.20  Fahr.  (-16°  C),  and  at  0.8  metre  about  22°  F"ahr. 
below  zero  (-30°  C).  After  the  beginning  of  April  it 
began  to  rise  slowly. 

At  these  low  temperatures  the  ice  became  very  hard 
and  brittle,  and  was  readily  cracked  or  broken  up  by  a 
blow  or  by  packing.  In  the  summer,  on  the  other  hand, 
when  its  temperature  was  near  melting-point,  the  ice 
became  tough  and  plastic,  and  was  not  so  readily  broken 
up  under  packing.  This  difference  between  the  condition 
of  the  ice  in  summer  and  winter  was  apparent  also  to  the 
ear,  as  the  ice-packing  in  winter  was  always  accompanied 
by  the  frequently  mentioned  loud  noises,  while  the  pack- 
ing of  the  tough  summer  ice  was  almost  noiseless,  so  that 


% 


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464 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


the  mcst  violent  convulsions  might  take  place  close  to  us 
without  our  noticing  them. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Fram  the  ice  remained 
perfectly  at  rest  the  whole  year  through,  and  she  was  not 
at  this  time  exposed  to  any  great  amount  of  pressure ; 
she  lay  safe  and  secure  on  the  ice-floe  to  which  she  was 
firmly  frozen ;  and  gradually,  as  the  surface  of  the  ice 
thawed  under  the  summer  sun,  she  rose  up  higher  and 
higher.  In  the  autumn  she  again  began  to  sink  a  little, 
either  because  the  ice  gave  way  under  her  weight,  or 
because  it  melted  somewhat  on  the  under  surface,  sc 
that  it  no  longer  had  so  much  buoyancy  as  before. 

Meanwhile,  life  on  board  went  on  in   its  usual  way. 
Now  that  we  had  daylight  there  was  of  course  more 
work  of  various  descriptions  on  the  ice  than  had  been 
the  case  during  the  winter.     I  have  already  alluded  more 
than  once  to  our  unsuccessful  endeavors  to   reach   the 
bottom  by  sounding.     Unfortunately  we  were  not  pre- 
pared for  such  great  depths,  and  had  not  brought  any 
deep-sea  sounding  apparatus  with   us.      We  had,  there- 
fore, to  do  the  best  we  could  under  the  circumstances,  and 
that  was  to  sacrifice  one  of  the  ship's  r,teel  cables  in  order 
to  make  a  lead-line.     It  was  not  difficult  to  find  sufficient 
space  on  the  ice  for  a  rope-walk,  and  although  a  tempera- 
ture of  from  22°  F"ahr.  below  zero  (-30°  C.)  to  40°  Fahr. 
below  zero  (-40°  C.)  is  not  the  pleasantest  in  which 
to  manipulate  such  things  as  steel  wire,  yet  for  all  that 
the  work  went  on  well.     The  cable  was  unlaid  into  its 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  465 


separate  strands,  and  a  fresh,  pliant  lead-line  manufact- 
ured by  twisting  two  of  these  strands  together.  In  this 
way  we  made  a  line  of  between  4000  and  5000  metres- 
(2150  to  2700  fathoms)  long,  and  could  now  at  last 
reach  the  bottom.  The  depth  proved  to  range  between. 
3300  and  3900  metres  (1800  to  2100  fathoms). 

This  was  a  remarkable  discovery,  for,  as  I  have  fre- 
quently mentioned,  the  unknown  polar  basin  has  always 
been  supposed  to  be  shallow,  with  numerous  unknown 
lands  and  islands.  I,  too,  had  assumed  it  to  be  shallow 
when  I  sketched  out  my  plan  (see  page  24),  and  had 
thought  it  was  traversed  by  a  deep  channel  which  might 
possibly  be  a  continuation  of  the  deep  channel  in  the 
North  Atlantic  (see  page  28). 

From  this  assumption  of  a  shallow  Polar  Sea  it  was- 
concluded  that  the  regions  about  the  Pole  had  formerly 
been  covered  with  an  extensive  tract  of  land,  of  which  the 
existing  islands  are  simply  the  remains.  This  extensive 
tract  of  polar  land  was  furthermore  assumed  to  have  been 
the  nursery  of  many  of  our  animal  and  plant  forms,, 
whence  they  had  found  their  way  to  lower  latitudes. 
These  conjectures  now  appear  to  rest  on  a  somewhat 
infirm  basis. 

This  great  depth  indicates  that  here,  at  all  events,, 
there  has  not  been  land  in  any  very  recent  geological 
period ;  and  th's  depth  is,  no  doubt,  as  old  as  the  depth 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  of  which  it  is  almost  certainly  a. 
Dart. 


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ii' 


V 


/ 


466 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


V 


I' 


SCOTT-HANSBN  JOHANBHN 

TAKING    WATER   TEMPERATURES 


II    . 


Another  task  to  which  I  attached  great  importance, 
and  to  which  I  have  frequently  alluded,  was  the  observa- 
tion of  the  temperature  of  the  sea  at  different  depths, 
from  the  surface  down  to  the  bottom.  These  observa- 
tions we  took  as  often  as  time  permitted,  and,  as  already 
mentioned,  they  gave  some  surprising  results,  showing 
the  existence  of  warmer  water  below  the  cold  surface 
stratum.  This  is  not  the  place  to  give  the  results  of  the 
different  measurements,  but  as  they  are  all  very  similar  I 
will  instance  one  of  them  in  order  that  an  idea  may  be 
formed  how  the  temperature  is  distributed. 


-tf' 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  467 

This  series  of  temperatures,  of  which  an  extract  is  given 
here,  was  taken  from  the  13th  to  the  17th  of  August. 

TABLE  OF  TEMPERATURES 


DEPTHS 

TEMPERATURE 

Surface 
2  metres 

Fathoms 

Degrees 
Centigrade 

Fahrenheit 

=■■■     I 

-f-  1.02 
-1.32 

=  33.83 
29.62 

20      " 

10 

-1-33 

29.61 

40 
60 
80              " 

21 

-1.50 

29.3 

32 

-1.50 

29.3 

43 

-1.50 

293 

lOO         " 

120 

54 
6S 

—  1.40 

-1.24 

29.48 
29.77 

140       " 

160 
180     " 

200 

76 

87 

98 

109 

-0.97 

—  0.58 
-0.31 

—  0.03 

30.254 
30.96 
31-44 
31-95 

220      " 

120 

+  0.19 

32-34 

240       " 
260 

131 

142 

+  0.20 

+  0.34 

32.36 
32.61 

280      " 

153 

+  0.42 

32.76 

300 

164 

+  0.34 

32.61 

350     " 

191 

+  0.44 

32.79 

400 

218 

+  0-35 

32.63 

450     " 

246 

+  0.36 

32.66 

500 

273 

+  0-34 

32.61 

600     " 

328 

+  0.26 

32.47 

700     " 
800     " 

382 
437 

+  o.r4 
+  0.07 

32.25 
32.126 

900 

492 

~  0.04 

31.928 

1000 

546 

—  O.IO 

31.82 

1200 

656 

—  0.28 

31.496 

1400 

76s 

—  0.34 

31.39 

1600 

874 

—  0.46 

31.17 

1 800 

984 

—  0.60 

30.92 

2000 

1093 

-0,66 

30.81 

2600 

1421 

-0.74 

30.67 

2900      " 

1585 

—  0.76 

30.63 

3000     " 

1640 

-0.73 

30.69 

3400     " 

1859 

—  0,69 

30.76 

3700     " 

2023 

—  0.65 

30.83 

3800 

2077 

—  0.64 

30.85 

325     " 

177 

+  0.49 

32.88 

+  0.85 

33-53 

+  0.76 

33.37 

+  0.78 

33-40 

+  0.62 

33-12 

:  t 


«/' 


•  \  tf: 


/ 


468 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


These  temperatures  of  the  water  are  in  many  re- 
spects remarkable.  In  the  first  place,  the  temperature 
falls,  as  will  be  seen,  from  the  surface  downward  to  a 
depth  of  80  metres,  after  which  it  rises  to  280  metres, 
falls  again  at  300  metres,  then  rises  again  at  326  metres, 
where  it  was  +049°;  then  falls  to  rise  again  at  450 
metres,  then  falls  steadily  down  to  2000  metres,  to  rise 
once  more  slowly  at  the  bottom.  Similar  risings  and 
fallings  were  to  be  found  in  almost  all  the  series  of  tem- 
peratures taken,  and  the  variations  from  one  month  to 
another  were  so  small  that  at  the  respective  depths  they 
often  merely  amounted  to  the  two-hundredth  part  of  a 
degree.  Occasionally  the  temperature  of  the  warm  strata 
mounted  even  higher  than  mentioned  here.  Thus  on 
October  17th  at  300  metres  it  was  +0.85°,  at  350  metres 
+  0.76°,  at  400  metres  +0.78,  and  at  500  metres  +0.62°, 
after  which  it  sank  evenly,  until,  towards  the  bottom,  it 
again  rose  as  before. 

We  had  not  expected  to  meet  with  much  bird  life  in 
these  desolate  regions.  Our  surprise,  therefore,  was  not 
small  when  on  Whitsunday,  May  13th,  a  gull  paid  us  a 
visit.  After  that  date  we  regularly  saw  birds  of  different 
kinds  in  our  vicinity  till  at  last  it  became  a  daily  occur- 
rence, to  which  we  did  not  pay  any  particular  attention. 
For  the  most  part  they  ^vere  ice  mews  {Larus  eburneus)y 
kittiwakes  {Rissatridacty ,...,,  fulmars  {Proccllaria glacialis), 
and  now  and  then  a  blue  gull  {L.  glaucus),  a  herring  gull 
(Z.  argentatus?),  or  a  black  guillemot  {Uria  grylle);  once 


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THE  SPRING  AND  SUMMER   OF  1894  471 


l.h 


or  twice  we  also  saw  a  skua  (probably  Lestris parasitica)— 
for  instance,  on  July  14th.  On  July  21st  we  had  a  visit 
from  a  snow-bunting. 

On  August  3d  a  remarkable  occurrence  took  place: 
we  were  visited  by  the   Arctic  rose   gull  {Rhodostethia 
rosea).     I  wrote  as  follows  about  it  in  my  diary :  "  To-day 
my  longing  has  at  last  been  satisfied.     I  have  shot  Ross's 
gull,"*    three   specimens   in   one   day.     This    rare   and 
mysterious  inhabitant  of  the   unknown   north,  which  is 
only   occasionally   seen,   and    of    which    no  one    knows 
whence   it  cometh  or  whither  ''t  goeth,  which  belongs 
exclusively  to  the  world  to  which  the    imagination   as- 
pires,  is  what,  from  the  first  moment  I  saw  these  tracts, 
I  had  always  hoped  to  discover,  as  my  eyes  roamed  over 
the  lonely  plains  of  ice.     And  now  it  came  when  I  was 
least  thinking  of  it.     I  was  out  for  a  little  walk  on  the 
ice  by  the  ship,  and  as  I  was  sitting  down  by  a  hummock 
my  eyes  wandered  northward  and  lit  on  a  bird  hovering 
over  the  great  pressure -mound  away  to  the  northwest. 
At  first  I  took  it  to  be  a  kittiwake,  but  soon  discovered 
it  rather   resembled   the  skua   by  its  swift  flight,  sharp 
wings,  and  pointed  tail.     When  I  had  got  my  gun,  there 
were  two  of  them  together  flying  round  and  round  the 
ship.     I  now  got  a  closer  view  of  them,  and  discovered 
that  they  were  too  light  colored  to  be  skuas.     They  were 
by  no  means  shy,  but  continued  flying  about  close  to  the 

*  This  gull  is  often  called  by  this  name,  after  its  first  discoverer.     It 
has  acquired  its  other  name,  "  rose  gull,"  from  its  pin'-    olor. 


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FARTHEST  NORTH 


ship.    On  going  after  them  on  the  ice  I  soon  shot  one  of 
them,  and  was  not  a  little  surprised,  on  picking  it  up.  to 
find  it  was  a  little  bird  about  the  size  of  a  snipe ;  the 
mottled  back,  too,  reminded  me  also  of  that  bird.     Soon 
after  this  I  shot  the  other.     Later  in  the  day  there  came 
another,  which  was  also  shot.     On  picking  this  one  up  I 
found  it  was  not  quite  dead,  and  it  vomited  up  a  couple 
of   large  shrimps,  which   it  must  have  caught  in  some 
channel  or  other.     All  three  were  young  birds,  about  12 
inches  in  length,  with  dark  mottled  gray  plumage  on  the 
back  and  wings;  the  breast  and  under  side  white,  with  a 
scarcely  perceptible  tinge  of  orange-red,  and   round  the 
neck  a  dark  ring  sprinkled  with  gray."     At  a  somewhat 
later  age  this  mottled   plumage  disappears;   they  then 
become  blue  on  the  back,  with  a  black  ring  round  the 
neck,  while    the   breast   assumes   a   delicate   pink   hue. 
Some  few  days  afterwards  (August  6th  and  8th)  some 
more  of  these  birds  were  shot,  making  eight  specimens 
in  all. 

While  time  was  passing  on,  the  plan  I  had  been  re- 
volving in  my  mind  during  the  winter  was  ever  upper- 
most  in  my  thoughts  — the  plan,  that  is  to  say,  of  ex- 
ploring the  unknown  sea  apart  from  the  track  in  which 
the  Fram  was  drifting.  I  kept  an  anxious  eye  upon  the 
dogs,  for  fear  anything  should  happen  to  tuem,  and  also 
to  see  that  they  continued  in  good  condition,  for  all  my 
hopes  centred  in  them.  Several  of  them,  indeed,  had 
been  bitten  to  death,  and  two  had  been  killed  by  bears; 


'^f''':<k>^-tihr*4i^'^Mi«iWM 


im-   ^^L,.. —  ^    ■    .  .  -     ^,i^talt,.iH,.  .J 


RHODOS    TETHIA 

(From  a  photograph) 


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THE  SPRING  AND   SUMMER   OF  1894  475 

hut  there  were  still  twenty-six  remaining,  and  as  a  set- 
off  against  our  losses  we  had  the  puppies,  eight  of  which 
had  been  permitted  to  live.      As  spring  advanced  they 
were  allowed  to  roam  the  deck,  but  on   May  5th  their 
world  was   considerably  extended.     I    wrote   thus :  "  In 
the  afternoon  we  let  the  puppies  loose  on  the  ice,  and 
'  Kvik '  at  once  took  long  expeditions  with  them  to  famil- 
iarize them  with  their  surroundings.    First  she  introduced 
them  to  our  meteorological  apparatus,  then  to  the  bear- 
trap,  and  after  tuat  to  different  pressure-mounds.     They 
were  very   cautious  at  first,  staring  timidly  all  around, 
and  venturing  out  very  slowly,  a  step  at  a  time,  from  the 
ship's   side;   but  soon  they  began  to  run   riot  in  their 
newly  discovered  world. 

"  '  Kvik '  was  very  proud  to  conduct  her  litter  out  into 
the  world,  and  roamed  about  in  the  highest  of  spirits, 
though  she  had  only  just  returned  from  a  long  driving 
expedition,  in  which,  as  usual,  she  had  done  good  work 
in   harness.      In    the    afternoon   one   of   the   black   and 
white  puppies  had  an  attack  of  madness.     It  ran  round 
the  ship,  barking  furiously ;  the  others  set  on  it,  and  it 
bit  at  everything  that  came  in  its  way.     At  last  we  got 
it  shut  in  on  the  deck  forward,  where  it  was  furious  for 
a  while,  then  quieted  down,  and  now  seems  to  be  all 
right  again.     This  makes  the  fourth  that  has  had  a  sim- 
ilar attack.     What  can  it  possibly  be }     It  cannot  be  hy- 
drophobia, or  it  would  have  appeared  among  the  grown- 
up dogs.     Can  it  be  toothache,  or  hereditary  epilepsy— 


I 


"i ; 


m\ 


A 


--lii-i'lirtvii'iai'aifiiwt'. 


4;6 


FAHTHEST  NORTH 


I  ♦ 


r  in 


or  some  other  infernal  thing?"  Unfortunately,  several 
of  them  died  from  these  strange  attacks.  The  puppies 
were  such  fine,  nice  animals,  that  we  were  all  very  sorry 
when  a  thing  like  this  occurred. 

On  June  3d  I  write:  "Another  of  the  puppies  died 
in   the   forenoon  from  one  of  those  mysterious   attacks, 
and  I  cannot  conceal  from  myself  that  I  take  it  greatly 
to    heart,  and   feel    low-spirited    about    it,  I    have   been 
so  used  to  these  small  polar  creatures  living  their  sor- 
rowless  life  on   deck,  romping  and   playing   around   us 
from   morning  to  evening,  and  a  little  of  the   night  as 
well.     I  can  watch  them  with  pleasure  by  the  hour  to- 
gether, or  play  with  them  as  with  little  children — have  a 
game  at   hide-and-seek   with   them    round    the   skylight, 
the  while   they  are   beside   themselves  with  glee.     It  is 
the  largest  and  strongest  of  the  lot  that  has  just  died, 
a  handsome  dog;   I  called  him  'Lova'  (Lion).     He  was 
such    a   confiding,   gentle    animal,    and    so   affectionate. 
Only  yesterday  he  was  jumping  and  inlaying  about  and 
rubbing  himself  against  me,  and  to-day  he  is  dead.    Our 
ranks  are  thinning,  and  the  worst  of  it  is  we  try  in  vain 
to   make  out  what  it  is  that  ails  them.     This  one  was 
apparently  quite  in  his  normal  condition  and  as  cheerful 
as  ever  until  his  breakfast  was  given  him ;  then  he  be- 
gan to  cry  and   tear  round,  yelping  and   barking  as   if 
distracted,  just  as  the  others  had  done.     After  this  con- 
vulsions set  in,  and  the  froth  poured  from  his   mouth. 
One   of   these   convulsions    no   doubt    carried    him    off. 


31 


". -**««,*^    A-: 


5^ 

> 

m 

H 

> 

m 
«    > 


a 


On 


00 
vO 
4^ 


1; 


it 


!  j| 


m 


■WC   W-V.-     .-:■•..,', 


Mf-fl 


T//£   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  iSp^  A79 

Blessing  and  I  held  a  post  mortem  upon  him  in  the 
afternoon,  but  we  could  discover  no  signs  of  anything 
unusual.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  an  infectious  ailment. 
I  cannot  understand  it. 

"'Ulenka,'  too,  the  handsomest  dog  in  the  whole 
pack,  our  consolation  and  our  hope,  suddenly  became  ill 
the  other  day.  It  was  the  morning  of  May  24th  that 
we  found  it  paralyzed  and  quite  helpless,  lying  in  its 
cask  on  deck.  It  kept  trying  to  get  up,  but  couldn't,  and 
immediately  fell  down  again— just  like  a  man  who  has 
had  a  stroke  and  has  lost  all  power  over  his  limbs.  It 
was  at  once  put  to  bed  in  a  box  and  nursed  most  care- 
fully ;  except  for  being  unable  to  walk,  it  is  apparently 
quite  well."  It  must  have  been  a  kind  of  apoplectic 
seizure  that  attacked  the  spinal  cord  in  some  spot  or 
other,  and  paralyzed  one  side  of  the  body.  The  dog 
recovered  slowly,  but  never  got  the  complete  use  of  its 
legs  again.  It  accompanied  us,  however,  on  our  subse- 
quent sledge  expedition. 

The  dogs  did  not  seem  to  like  the  summer,  it  was 
so  wet  on  the  ice,  and  so  warm.  On  June  nth  I 
write :  "  To-day  the  pools  on  the  ice  all  round  us  have 
increased  wonderfully  in  size,  and  it  is  by  no  means 
agreeable  to  go  off  the  ship  with  shoes  that  are  not 
water-tight ;  it  is  wetter  and  wetter  for  the  dogs  in  the 
daytime,  and  they  sweat  more  and  more  from  the  heat, 
tliough  it  as  yet  only  rarely  rises  above  zero  (C).  A  few 
days  ago  they  were  shifted  on  to  the  ice,  where  two  long 


i  :' 


I  ^ 

I  ^  ' 

,1    -I 


:i 


,'f 


'A 


I- 

r 


K^ 


III 


480 


FAR  THE S2'  NORTH 


kennels  were  set  up  for  them."*  They  were  made  out 
of  boxes,  and  really  consist  of  only  a  wall  and  a  roof. 
Here  they  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  twenty -four 
hours,  and  we  are  now  rid  of  all  uncleanliness  on  board, 


OUR    KENNELS    (SEPTEMBER    27,   1 894) 

(From  1!   Plwtogtaph) 

except  for  the  four  puppies  which  still  remain,  and  lead 
a  glorious  life  of  it  up  there  between  sleep  and  play. 
"Ulenka"  is   still    on    deck,  and    is   slowly   recovering. 

*Up  to  now  thev  had  their  kennels  on  deck. 


\  I 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  481 

There  is  the  same  daily  routine  for  the  clogs  as  in  the 
winter.  We  let  them  loose  in  the  morning  about  half- 
past  eight,  and  as  the  time  for  their  release  draws  near 
they  begin  to  get  very  impatient.  Every  time  any  one 
shows  himself  on  deck  a  wild  chorus  of  howls  issues  from 
twenty-six  throats,  clamoring  for  food  and  freedom. 

After  being  let  loose  they  get  their  breakfast,  consist- 
ing of  half  a  dried  f^sh  or  three  biscuits  apiece.     The  rest 
of  the  forenoon  is  spent  in  rooting  round  among  all  the 
refuse  heaps  they  can  find;  and  they  gnaw  and  lick  all 
the  empty  tin  cases  which  they  have  ransacked  hundreds 
of   times  before.     If  the  cook  sends  a  fresh  tin  dancing 
along  the  ice  a  battle  immediately  rages  around  the  prize. 
It  often  happens  that  one  or  another  of  them,  trying  to 
get  at  a  tempting  piece  of  fat  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep, 
narrow  tin,  sticks  his  head  so  far  down  into  it  that  the  tin 
sits  fast,  and  he  cannot  release  himself  again  ;  so  with  this 
extinguisher  on  his  head  he  sprawls  about  blindly  over 
the  ice,  indulging  in   the    most  wonderful  antics  in  the 
effort  to  get  rid  of  it,  to  the  great  amusement  of  us  the 
spectators.     When  tired   of   their  work    at   the   rubbish 
heaps  they  stretch  out  their  round,  sausage-like  bodies, 
panting  in  the  sun,  if  there  is  any,  and  if  it  is  too  warm 
they  get  into  the  shade.     They  are  tied  up  again  before 
dinner;   but  "Pan,"  and  others  like-minded,  sneak  away 
a  little  before  that  time,  and  hide  up  behind  a  hummock, 
so  that  one  can  only  see  a  head  or  an  ear  sticking  up 
here  and  there.     Should  any  one  go  to  fetch  him  in  he 

3> 


¥ 
III 


-  BlUf  -ft  ■tiiiit1[iM^i 


482 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


rj! 


Ij,         H 

ill 


M 


'     1' 


Hi'  '" 


will  probabl)'  growl,  show  his  teeth,  or  even  snap ;  after 
which  he  will  lie  flat  down,  and  allow  himself  to  be 
dragged  off  to  prison.  The  remainder  of  the  twenty-four 
hours  they  spend  sleeping,  puffing  and  panting  in  the 
excessive  heat,  which,  by-the-way,  is  two  degrees  of  cold. 


>)  I. 


THE    DOGS    BASKING    IN    THE    SUN   (jUNE    1 3,    1S94) 

(From  (t  tViotograph) 

Every  now  and  then  they  set  up  a  chorus  of  howls  that 
certainly  must  be  heard  in  Siberia,  and  quarrel  among 
themselves  till  the  fur  flies  in  all  directions.  This 
removal  of  the  dogs  on  to  the  ice  has  imposed  upon  the 
watch  the  arduous  duty  of  remaining  on  deck  at  nights, 
whic'    was  not  the  practice  before.     But  a  bear  having 


THE   SPRING  AXD  SUMMER    OF  1894 


483 


.M 


once  been  on  board  and  taken  off  two  of  our  precious 
animals,  wc  don't  want  any  more  such  visitors. 

"On  July  31st  'Kvik'  again  increased  our  population 
by  bringing  eleven  puppies  into  the  world,  one  of  which 
was  deformed,  and  was  at  cnce  killed ;  two  others  died 
later,  but  most  of  them  grew  up  and  became  fine,  hand- 
some anin.als.     They  are  still  living. 

"  Pew  or  no  incidents  occurred  during  this  time,  ex- 
cept, naturally,  the  different  red-letter  days  were  cele- 
brated with  great  ceremony," 

May  17th*  we  observed  with  special  pomp,  the  fol- 
lowing description  of  which  I  find  in  my  journal : 

"Friday,  May  i8th.     May  17th  was  celebrated  yester- 
day  with  all  possible  festi\..y.     In  the  mornine  we  were 
awakened  with  organ   music— the  enlivening  strains  of 
the  'College    Hornpipe.'      After  this  a  splendid  break- 
fast   off    smoked    salmon,   ox    tongues,    .^tc,   etc.     The 
whole   ship's  company  wore    bows   of    ribbon    in    honor 
of  the  day— even  old  '  Suggen  '  had  one  round  his  tail. 
The   wind    whistled,  and   the   Norwegian  flag  floated  on 
high,  fluttering   bravely  at   the   mast  -  head.     About    11 
o'clock   the  company  assembled  with    their   banners  on 
the  ice  on  the  port  side  of  the  snip,  and  the  procession 
arranged  itself  in  order.     First  of  all  came  the  leader  of 
the  expedition  with    the  '  pure  '  Norwegian  flag ;  t  after 
him   Sverdrup  with  the  Fmnis  pennant,  which,  with  its 

*  The  annivers.  I     .,.(  the  Norwegian  Constitution. 
t  Without  th.}  ni:.vk  of  the  "union"  with  Sweden. 


'!'( 


.1 


11 


i) 


1h  '^'^ 


484 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


'FRAM'  on  a  red  ground,  3  fathoms  long,  looked 
splendid.  Next  came  a  dog- sledge,  with  the  band 
(Johansen  with  the  accordion),  and  Mogstad,  as  coach- 
man; after  them  came  the  mate  with  rifles  and  har- 
poons, Henriksen  carrying  a  long  harpoon  ;  then  Amund- 
sen and  Mordahl,  with  a  red  banner.  The  doctor  fol- 
lowed, with  a  demonstration  flag  in  favor  of  a  normal 
working-day.  It  consisted  of  a  woollen  jersey,  with  the 
letters  '  N.  A.'*  embroidered  on  the  breast,  and  at  the 
top  of  a  very  long  pole  it  looked  most  impressive.  After 
him  followed  our  clicf,  Juell,  with  '  peik's '  t  saucepan 
on  his  back ;  and  then  came  the  meteorologists,  with  a 
curious  apparatus,  consisting  of  a  large  tin  scutcheon, 
across  which  was  fastenc;!  a  red  band,  with  the  letters 
'  Al.  St.,'  signifying  '  almindelig  stemmeret,'  or  '  universal 
suffrage.'  \ 

"At  last  the  procession  began  to  move  on.  The  dogs 
marched  demurely,  as  if  they  had  never  done  anything 
else  in  all  their  lives  than  walk  in  procession,  and  Ihe 
band  played  a  magnificent  festive  march,  not  composed 
for  the  occasion.      The  stately  cortege    marched    twice 


I    ^) 


lU^ 


*  "  Normal  arbeidsdage"  =  normal  >vorking-day. 

t  The  pet  name  of  the  cooking-range  in   the  galley. 

X  Up  to  this  day  I  am  not  quite  clear  as  to  what  these  emblems  were 
intended  to  signify.  That  the  doctor,  from  want  of  practice,  would 
have  been  glad  of  a  normal  day's  work  ("normal  Arbeidsdag  ")  can 
readily  be  explained,  but  why  the  meteorologists  should  cry  out  for 
universal  suffrage  passes  my  comprehension.  Did  they  want  to  oxer- 
throw  despotism  } 


THE   SPRING   AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  485 

round  the  Fram.  after  which  with  great  solemnity  it 
moved  off  in  the  direction  of  the  large  hummock,  and 
was  photographed  on  the  way  by  the  photographer  of 
the  expedition.      At  the  nummock  a  hearty  cheer  was 


THE    SKVEXTEEXTH-OF-MAY    rKOCESSION,    1S94 

(I'rolii  It  rliotogra/'h) 

given  for  the  Fram,  which  had  brought  us  hither  so 
well,  and  which  would,  doubtless,  take  us  equally  well 
home  again.  After  this  the  procession  turned  back, 
cutting  across  the  Fnniis  bow.  At  the  port  gangway 
a  halt  was  called,  and  the  photographer,  mountino-  the 
bridge,  made  a  speech  in  honor  of  the   day.      This  was 


m\ 


li 
.'  If 

41 


(■ 


1  1'!  1 


486 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


'  I"  '  i 


succeeded  by  a  thundering  salute,  consisting  of  six  shots, 
the  result  of  which  was  that  five  or  six  of  the  dogs 
rushed  off  over  hummocks  and  pressure  -  ridges,  and 
hid  themselves  for  several  hours.  Meanwhile  we  went 
down  into  the  cozy  cabin,  decorated  with  flags  for  the 
occasion  in  a  right  festiv?  manner,  where  we  partook  of 
a  splendid  dinner,  preluded  by  a  lovely  waltz.  The 
7)ieim  was  as  follows;  Minced  fish  with  curried  lobster, 
melted  butter,  and  potatoes;  music;  pork  cutlets,  with 
green  pease,  potatoes,  mango  chutney,  and  Worcester 
sauce;  rrusic;  apricots  and  custard,  with  cream;  much 
music.  After  this  a  siesta ;  then  coffee,  currants,  figs, 
cakes  ;  and  the  photographer  stood  cigars.  Great  en- 
thusiasm, then  more  siesta.  After  supper  the  violinist, 
Mogstad,  gave  a  recital,  when  refreshments  were  served 
in  the  shape  of  figs,  sweetmeats,  apricots,  and  ginger- 
bread (honey  cakes).  On  the  whole,  a  charming  and 
very  successful  Seventeenth  of  May,  especially  consid- 
ering that  we  had  passed  the  8ist  degree  of  latitude. 

"  Monday,  May  28th.  Ugh !  I  am  tired  of  these 
endless,  white  plains  —  cannot  even  be  bothered  snow- 
shoeing  over  them,  not  to  mention  that  the  lanes  stop 
one  on  every  hand.  Day  and  night  I  pace  up  and 
down  the  deck,  along  the  ice  by  the  ship's  sides,  revolv- 
ing the  most  elaborate  scientific  problems.  For  the  past 
few  days  it  is  especially  the  shifting  of  the  Pole  that 
has  fascinated  me.  I  am  beset  by  the  idea  that  the 
tidal  wave,  along  with  the  unequal  distribution  of  land 


3 


W^         U 


H 
X 
Pi 

5c 


n 

Pi 


r 


K> 


OC 
-1^ 


,    i 


I    ■■'. 


J'. 


>.;» 


•i- 

1 


^lll  1 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OE  18,^4  489 


■  r 


and    sea,   must    have    a    disturbing    effect    on    the    sit- 
uation    of   the   earth's    axis.     When    such    an   idea  gets 
into  one's    head,    it    is    no    easy    matter    to   get    it   out 
again.       After    pondering    over    it    for   several    days,    I 
have  finally  discovered  that  the  influence  of  the  moon 
on  the  sea  must  be  sufficient  to  cause  a  shifting  of  the 
Pole  to  the  extent  of  one  minute  in  800,000  years.     In 
order  to  account  for  the  European  Glacial  Age,  which 
was  my  main  object,  1  must  shift  the  Pole  at  least  ten 
or  twenty  degrees.     This  leaves  an  uncomfortably  wide 
interval   of  time  since  that  period,  and  shows  that  the 
human  race  must  have  attained  a  respectable  age.     Of 
course,  it  is  all  nonsense.     But  while  I  am  indefatigably 
tramping  the  deck  in  a  brown  study,  imagining  myself 
no  end  of  a  great  thinker,  I  suddenly  discover  that   my 
thoughts  are  at  home,  where  all  is  summer  and   loveli- 
ness, and  those  I  have  left  are  busy  building  castles  in 
the  air  for  the  day  when    I  shall    return.     Yes,  yes.     I 
spend  rather  too  much  time  on   this  sort  of  thing;  but 
the  drift  goes   as  slowl)'  as  ever,  and   the  wind,  the   all- 
powerful   wind,  is  still  the  .same.      The  first   thing  my 
eyes  look  for  when  I  set  foot  on  deck  in  the  mornincr  is 
the  weathercock  on  the  niizzcn-top,  to  see  how  the  wind 
lies;  thither  they  are  forever  straying  during  the  whole 
day,  and  there  again  they  rest  the    last  thing  before  I 
turn  in.     But  it  ever  points  in   the  same  direction,  west 
and    southwest,  and    we    drift    now   quicker,  now    more 
slowly  westward,  and  only  a  little  to  the  north.      I  have 


'I  la 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


UiMTA     |2.5 
|5o   "^     MWM 

I  ;^  ilia 

S   1^    IIII2C 


1.4 


1.8 


1.6 


7 


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^v 


^ 


'^ 


.-^ 


Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  ^TR'^ET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  i4S80 

(716)  872-4503 


# 


rO^ 


1 


V 


\\ 


<h 


V 


-<*." 


Is 


N> 


iff 


490 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


no  doubt  now  about  the  success  of  the  expedition,  and 
my  miscalculation  was  not  so  great,  after  all;  but  I 
scarcely  think  we  shall  drift  higher  than  85°,  even  if  we 
do  that.  It  will  depend  on  how  far  Franz  Josef  Land 
extends  to  the  north.  In  that  case  it  will  be  hard  to 
give  up  reaching  the  Pole ;  it  is  in  reality  a  mere  matter 
of  vanity,  merely  child's  play,  in  comparison  with  what 
we  are  doing  and  hoping  to  do;  and  yet  I  must  confess 
that  I  am  foolish  enough  to  want  to  take  in  the  Pole 
while  I  am  about  it,  and  shall  probably  have  a  try  at  it 
if  we  get  into  its  neighborhood  within  any  reasonable 
time. 

"This  is  a  mild  May;  the  temperature  has  been 
about  zero  several  times  of  late,  and  one  can  walk  up 
and  down  and  almost  imagine  one's  self  at  home. 
There  is  seldom  more  than  a  few  degrees  of  cold ;  but 
the  summer  fogs  are  beginning,  with  occasional  hoar- 
frost. As  a  rule,  however,  the  sky,  with  its  light,  fleet- 
ing clouds,  is  almost  like  a  spring  sky  m  the  south. 

"  We  notice,  too,  that  it  has  become  milder  on  board ; 
we  no  longer  need  to  light  a  fire  in  the  stove  to  make 
ourselves  warm  and  cozy;  though,  indeed,  we  have 
never  indulged  in  much  luxury  in  this  respect.  In  the 
store-room  the  rime  frost  and  ice  that  had  settled  on 
the  ceiling  and  walls  are  beginning  to  melt;  and  in 
the  compartments  astern  of  the  saloon,  and  in  the  hold, 
we  have  been  obliged  to  set  about  a  grand  cleaning-up, 
scraping  off  and   sweeping   away  the   ice  and  rime,  to 


I  Mil  •jriatMiiJwjn 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER   OF  1894  491 


save  our  provisions  from  taking  harm,  through  the 
damp  penetrating  the  wrappings  and  rusting  holes  in 
the  tin  cases.  We  have,  moreover,  for  a  long  time 
kept  the  hatchways  in  the  hold  open,  so  that  there 
has  been  a  thorough  draught  through  it,  and  a  good 
deal  of  the  rime  has  evaporated.  It  is  remarkable 
how  little  damp  we  have  on  board.  No  doubt  this  is  due 
to  the  Frams  solid  construction,  and  to  the  deck  over 
the  hold  being  panelled  on  the  under  side.  I  am  getting 
fonder  and  fonder  of  this  ship. 

"  Saturday,  June  9th.  Our  politician,  Amundsen,  is 
celebrating  the  day  with  a  white  shirt  and  collar.*  To- 
day I  have  moved  with  my  work  up  into  the  deck-house 
again,  where  I  can  sit  and  look  out  of  the  window  in  the 
daytime,  and  feel  that  I  am  living  in  the  world  and  not 
in  a  cavern,  where  one  must  have  lamplight  night  and 
day.  I  intend  remaining  here  as  long  as  possible  out 
into  the  winter:  it  is  so  cozy  and  quiet,  and  the  monoto- 
nous surroundings  are  not  constantly  forcing  themselves 
in  upon  me. 

"  I  really  have  the  feeling  that  summer  has  come.  I 
can  pace  up  and  down  the  deck  by  the  hour  together 
with  the  sun,  or  stand  still  and  roast  myself  in  it,  while 
I  smoke  a  pipe,  and  my  eyes  glide  over  the  confused 
masses  of  snow  and  ice.  The  snow  is  everywhere  wet 
now,  and  pools  are  beginning   to  form  every  here  and 

*  With    reference   to   the   resolution    of    the    Storthing,  on   June   9. 

1880.  e.  J  i" 


',      ! 


'\l 


! 


I'r 


492 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


there.  The  ice  too  is  getting  more  and  more  permeated 
with  salt-water;  if  one  bores  ever  so  small  a  hole  in  it, 
it  is  at  once  filled  with  water.  The  reason,  of  course, 
is  that,  owing  to  the  rise  in  the  temperature,  the  parti- 
cles of  salt  contained  in  the  ice  begin  to  melt  their  sur- 
roundings, and  more  and  more  water  is  formed  with  a 
good  admixture  of  salt  in  it,  so  that  its  freezing-point  is 
lower  than  the  temperature  of  the  ice  around  it.  This, 
too,  had  risen  materially ;  at  about  4  feet  depth  it  is  only 
25.2°  Fahr.  (— 3.8°  C),  at  5  feet  it  is  somewhat  warmer 
again,  26.5°  Fahr.  (-3.1°  C). 

"  Sunday,  June  loth.  Oddly  enough  we  have  had  no 
cases  of  snow-blindness  on  board,  with  the  exception  of 
the  doctor,  who,  a  couple  of  days  ago,  after  we  had  been 
playing  at  ball,  got  a  touch  of  it  in  the  evening.  The 
tears  poured  from  his  eyes  for  some  time,  but  he  soon 
recovered.  Rather  a  humiliating  trick  of  fate  that  he 
should  be  the  first  to  suffer  from  this  ailment"  Sub- 
sequently we  had  a  few  isolated  cases  of  slight  snow- 
blindness,  so  that  one  or  two  of  our  men  had  to  2:0  about 
with  dark  spectacles ;  but  it  was  of  little  importance  and 
was  due  to  their  not  thinking  it  worth  while  to  take  the 
necessary  precautions. 

"Monday,  June  nth.  To-day  I  made  a  joyful  dis- 
covery. I  thought  I  had  begun  my  last  bundle  of  cigars, 
and  calculated  that  by  smoking  one  a  day  they  would 
last  a  month,  but  found  quite  unexpectedly  a  whole  box 
in   my  locker.     Great   rejoicing!    it  will   help   to  while 


1: 


li 


:  li!' 


f| 


I 


•M 


tji 


v\. 


.'^1 


!i^ 


THE  SPRING  AND  SUMMER    OF  1894 


495 


away  a  few  more  months,  and  where  shall  we  be  then  ? 
Poor   fellow,  you    are   really  at   a   low  ebb!    '  To  while 
away   time'- that    is   an    idea    that   has    scarcely   ever 
entered   your   head    before.     It    has   always    been    your 
great   trouble  that  time  flew  away  so   fast,  and  now  it 
cannot  go   fast   enough   to  please   you.     And    then   so 
addicted   to    tobacco-you  wrap  yourself   in   clouds  of 
smoke    to    indulge    in    your    everlasting    day    dreams. 
Hark  to  the  south  wind,  how  it  whistles  in  the  rigging; 
it  is  quite  inspiriting  to  listen  to  it.     On  Midsummer' 
eve  we  ought,  of  course,  to  have  had  a  bonfire  as  usual, 
but  from  my  diary  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  the 
sort  of  weather  for  it. 

"Saturday,  June  23,  1894. 


'■!•]■  1 


'"Mid  the  shady  vales  and  the  leafy  trees, 
How  sweet  the  approach  of  the  summer  breeze  ! 
When  the  mountain  slopes  in  the  sunlight  gleam, 
And  the  eve  of  St.  John  comes  in  like  a  dream. 

The  north  wind  continues  with  sleet.  Gloomy  weather. 
Drifting  south.  81°  43'  north  latitude;  that  is,  9'  south^ 
ward  since  Monday. 

"  I  have  seen  many  Midsummer-eves  under  different 
skies,  but  never  such  a  one  as  this.  So  far,  far  from  all 
that  one  associates  with  this  evening.  I  think  of  the 
merriment  round  the  bonfires  at  home,  hear  the  scraping 
of  the  fiddle,  the  peals  of  laughter,  and  the  salvoes  of  the 
guns,  with  the  echoes  answering  from  the  purple-tinted 


i  I 

i 
i 


■fe' 

' 

h 

41  i 

r  ' 

> 

il  ■' 


i!!^ 


I 


496 


FARTHEST  AOKTIf 


I 


V 

n 

m 

heights.  And  then  I  look  out  over  this  boundless,  white 
expanse  into  the  fog  and  sleet  and  the  driving  wind. 
Here  is  truly  no  trace  of  midsummer  merriment.  It  is  a 
gloomy  lookout  altogether!  Midsummer  is  past— and 
now  the  days  are  shortening  again,  and  the  long  night 
of  winter  approaching,  which,  maybe,  will  find  us  as  far 
advanced  as  it  left  us. 

"  ^  ^v^'^s  busily  engaged  with   my  examination  of  the 
salinity  of  the  sea-water  this  afternoon  when    Mogstad 
stuck  his  head  in  at  the  door  and  said  that  a  bear  must 
be  prowling  about  in  the  neighborhood.     On  returning 
after  dinner  to  their  work  at  the  great  hummock,  where 
they  were  busy  making  an  ice-cellar  for  fresh  meat,*  the 
men  found  bear-tracks  which  were  not  there  before.     I 
put  on  my  snow-shoes  and  went  after  it.     But  what 
terrible  going  it  had  been  the  last  few  days  I     Soft  slush, 
in  which  the  snow-shoes  sink  helplessly.     The  bear  had 
come  from  the  west  right  up  to  the  Fram,  had  stopped 
and   inspected  the  work   that  was   going   on,  had  then 
retreated  a  little,  made  a  considerable  detour,  and  set  off 
eastward  at  its  easy,  shambling  gait,  without  deigning 
to  pay  any  further  attention  to  such  a  trifle  as  a\ship. 


*  It  was  seal,  walrus,  and  bear's  flesh  from  last  autumn,  which  was 
used  for  the  dogs.  During  the  winter  it  had  been  hung  up  in  the  ship 
and  was  still  quite  fresh.  But  henceforth  it  was  stored  on  the  ice  un- 
til, before  autumn  set  in,  it  was  consumed.  It  is  remarkable  how  well 
meat  keeps  in  these  regions.  On  June  28th  we  had  reindeer-steak  for 
dmner  that  we  had  killed  on  the  .Siberian  coast  in  September  of  the 
previous  year. 


' 


;,1     sii 

1.    I;i 


assi 


h\ 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUAfMRR    OF  i.S'^4  497 

It  had  rummaged  about  in  every  hole  and  corner  where 
there  seemed  to  be  any  chance  of  finding  food,  and  had 
rooted  in  the  snow  after  anything  the  dogs  had  left,  or 
whatever  else  it  might  be.  It  had  then  gone  to  the 
lanes  in  the  ice,  and  skirted  them  carefully,  no  doubt  in 
the  hope  of  finding  a  seal  or  two,  and  after  that  it  had 
gone  off  between  the  hummocks  and  over  floes,  with  a 
surface  of  nothing  but  slush  and  water.  Had  the  surface 
been  good  I  should  no  doubt  have  overtaken  Master 
Bruin,  but  he  had  too  long  a  start  in  the  slushy  snow. 

"  A  dismal,  dispiriting  landscape— nothing  but  white 
and  gray.  No  shadows— merely  half -obliterated  forms 
melting  into  the  fog  and  .slush.  Everything  is  in  a  state 
of  disintegration,  and  one's  foothold  gives  way  at  every 
step.  It  is  hard  work  for  the  poor  snow-shoer  who  stamps 
along  through  the  slush  and  fog  after  bear-tracks  that 
wind  in  and  out  among  the  hummocks,  or  over  them. 
The  snow-shoes  sink  deep  in,  and  the  water  often 
reaches  up  to  the  ankles,  so  that  it  is  hard  work  to  get 
them  up  or  to  force  them  forward;  but  without  them 
one  v.'ould  be  still  worse  off. 

"Every  here  and  there  this  monotonous  grayish 
whiteness  is  broken  by  the  coal-black  water,  which  winds, 
in  narrower  or  broader  lanes,  in  between  the  high  hum- 
mocks. White,  snow-laden  floes  and  lumps  of  ice  float 
on  the  dark  surface,  looking  like  white  marble  on  a 
black  ground.  Occasionally  there  is  a  larger  dark-col- 
ored pool,  where  the  wind  gets  a  hold  of  the  water  and 


^^i 


)i'i 


',  I 


'i 

1    <■ 

\ 


KB'. 


498 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\  3 


€■; 


\>V\ 


forms  small  waves  that  ripple  and  plash  against  the  edge 
of  the  ice,  the  only  signs  of  life  in  this  desert  tract.     It 
is  like  an  old  friend,  the  sound  (A  these  playful  \vave- 
lets.      And  here,  too,  they  eat  away  the  floes  and  hollow 
out  their  edges.     One  could  almost  imagine  one's  self  in 
more  southern    latitudes.      But   all  around  is  wreathed 
with    ice,  towering   aloft   in    its   ever- varying   fantastic 
forms,  in  striking  contrast  to  the  dark  water  on  which 
a  moment  before  the  eye  had  rested.     Everlastingly  is 
this   shifting    ice   modelling,  as   it   were,  in   pure,  gray 
marble,  and,  with    nature's    lavish    prodigality,  strewing 
around  the  most  glorious  statuary,  which  perishes  with- 
out any  eye  having  seen  it.     Wherefore  ?     To  what  end 
all  this  shifting  pageant  of  loveliness.?     It  is  governed  by 
the  mere  caprices  of  nature,  following  out  those  ever- 
lajting  laws  that  pay  no  heed  to  what  we  regard  as  aims 
and  objects. 

"  In  front  of  me  towers  one  pressure  -  ridge  after 
another,  with  lane  after  lane  between.  It  was  in  June 
the  Jeaniiette  was  crushed  and  sank ;  what  if  the  Fram 
were  to  meet  her  fate  here?  No,  the  ice  will  not  get 
the  better  of  her.  Yet,  if  it  should,  in  spite  of  every- 
thing! As  I  stood  gazing  around  me  I  remembered 
it  was  Midsummer- eve.  Far  away  yonder  her  masts 
pointed  aloft,  half  lost  to  view  in  the  snowy  haze.  They 
must,  indeed,  have  stout  hearts,  those  fellows  on  board 
that  craft.  Stout  hearts,  or  else  blind  faith  in  a  man's 
word. 


a 

> 

2! 


2! 
PJ 


ir. 
H 

n 

'^ 

O 
t 

H 

M 


> 


O 

X 

> 
m 

> 

o 


C/1 

a 

r 

H 

> 
2; 


On 


CO 

4^ 


!iti 


I 


n 


THE   S/'R/NG   AND  SUMMEN   OF  1S94 


501 


"  It  is  all  very  well  that  he  who  has  hatched  a  plan, 
be  it  never  so  wild,  should  go  with  it  to  carry  it  out;  he 
naturally  docs  his  best  for  the  child  to  which  his  thoughts 
have  given  birth.  Hut  they— they  had  no  child  to  tend, 
and  could,  without  feeling  any  yearning  balked,  have 
refrained  from  taking  jmrt  in  an  expedition  like  this. 
Why  should  any  human  being  renounce  life  to  be  wiped 
out  here  ? 

"Sunday,  June  24th.  The  anniversary  of  our  depart- 
ure from  home.  Northerly  wind;  still  drifting  south. 
Observations  to-day  gave  81°  41'  7"  north  latitude,  so 
we  are  not  going  at  a  breakneck  speed, 

"  It  has  been  a  long  year— a  great  deal  has  been  gone 
through  in  it— though  we  are  quite  as  far  advanced  as  I 
had  anticipated.  I  am  sitting,  and  look  out  of  the 
window  at  the  snow  whirling  round  in  eddies  as  it  is 
swept  along  by  the  north  wind.  A  strange  Midsummer- 
day  !  One  might  think  we  had  had  enough  of  snow  and 
ice ;  I  am  not,  however,  exactly  pining  after  green  fields 
— at  all  events,  not  always.  On  the  contrary,  I  find 
myself  sitting  by  the  hour  laying  plans  for  other  voy- 
ages into  the  ice  after  our  return  from  this  one.  .  .  . 
Yes,  I  know  what  I  have  attained,  and,  more  or  less, 
what  awaits  me.  It  is  all  very  well  for  me  to  sketch 
plans  for  the  future.  But  those  at  home.  .  .  .  No,  I 
am  not  in  a  humor  for  writing  this  evening;  I  will 
turn  in. 

"  Wednesday,  July  i  ith.     Lat.  81°  18'  8".     At  last  the 


.1: 


■III 


\\ 


"■■J-NmWWi^QMa.^^-f 


502 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


m 


southerly  wind  has  returned,  so  there  is  an  end  of  drifting 
south  for  the  present. 

"  Now  I  am  almost  longing  for  the  polar  night,  for 
the  everlasting  wonderland  of  the  stars  with  :he  spectral 
northern  lights,  and  the  moon  sailing  through  the  pro- 
found silence.  It  is  like  a  dream,  like  a  glimpse  into 
the  realms  of  fantasy.  There  are  no  forms,  no  cumbrous 
reality— only  a  vision  woven  of  silver  and  violet  ether, 

rising  up  from  earth  and  floating  out  into  infinity 

But  this  eternal  day,  with  its  oppressive  actuality,  in- 
terests me  no  longer— does  not  entice  me  out  of  my  lair. 
Life  is  one  incessant  hurrying  from  one  task  to  anoth- 
er; everything  must  be  done  and  nothing  neglected,  day 
after  day,  week  after  week ;  and  the  working-day  is  long, 
seldom  ending  till  far  over  midnight.  But  through  it  all 
runs  the  same  sensation  of  longing  and  emptiness,  which 
must  not  be  noted.  Ah,  but  at  times  there  is  no  hold- 
ing it  aloof,  and  the  hands  sink  down  without  will  or 
strength — so  weary,  so  unutterably  weary. 

"  Ah !  life's  peace  is  said  to  be  found  by  holy  men  in 
the  desert.  Here,  indeed,  there  is  dese.t  encugh;  but 
peace— of  that  I  know  nothing.  I  suppose  it  is  the  holi- 
ness that  is  lacking. 

"Wednesday,  July  i8th.  Went  on  excursion  with 
Blessing  in  the  forenoon  to  collect  specimens  of  the 
brown  snow  and  ice,  and  gather  seaweed  and  diatoms 
in  the  water.  The  upper  surface  of  the  floes  is  nearly 
everywhere   of  a    dirty   brown    color,  or,   at    least,  this 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  503 


mi 


sort  of  ice  preponderates,  while  pure  white  floes,  without 
any  traces  of  a  dirty  brown  on  their  surface,  are  rare. 
1  imagained  this  brown  color  must  be  due  to  the 
organisms  I  found  in  the  newly-frozen,  brownish-red 
ice   last   autumn   (October);   but  the  specimens  I  took 


BLESSING     GOES     OFF    IN     SEARCH     OF    ALG/E 

(From  a  Photograph) 

today  consist,  for  the  most  part,  of  mineral  dust  mingled 
with  diatoms  and  other  ingredients  of  organic  origin.* 

"  Blessing  collected  several  specimens  on   the   upper 
surface  of  the  ice  earlier  in  the  summer,  and  came  to 

*  The  same  kind  of  dust  that  1  found  on  the  ice  on  the  east  coast  of 
Greenland,  vvhich  is  mentioned  in  the  Introduction  to  this  book,  p.  39. 


a* 


l< 

; 

i 

1 

ii 

i. 

1 

:H 

%it\A 

1 

i 

»-.-<t„*,    •■»»i.»,^V-.I4*A';  i^.vAUidAl. 


i 


¥ 


504 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


the  same  conclusions.     I  must  look  further  into  this,  in 
order  to  see  whether  all  this  brown  dust  is  of  a  mineral 
nature,  and  consequently  originates  from  the  land.*     We 
found   in    the   lanes   quantities   of  algse   like   those   we 
had  often  found  previously.     There  were  large  accumu- 
lations   of   them    in    nearly   every   little   channel.     We 
could   also   see  that   a   brown  surface   layer  spread   it- 
self on  the  sides  of  the  floes  far  down  into  the  water. 
This  is  due  to  an  alga  that  grows  on  the  ice.     There 
were    also   floating    in    the    water   a   number   of  small 
viscid    lumps,   some    white,    some    of    a    yellowish    red 
color;  and  of  these  I  collected  several.     Under  the  mi- 
croscope they  all  appeared  to  consist  of  accumulations 
of  diatoms,  among  which,  moreover,  were  a  number  of 
larger  cellular  organisms  of  a  very  characteristic  appear- 
ance.t     All  of  these  diatomous  accumulations   kept  at 
a  certain  depth,  about  a  yard  below  the  surface  of  the 
water;   in   some  of   the   small    lanes   they  appeared   in 
large  masses.     At  the  same  depth  the  above-named  alga 
seemed  especially  to  flourish,  while  parts  of  it  rose  up  to 

*This  dust,  which  is  to  be  seen  in  summer  on  the  upper  surface  of 
almost  all  polar  ice  of  any  age.  is  no  doubt,  for  the  most  part,  dust  that 
hovers  m  the  earth's  atmosphere.  It  probably  descends  with  the  falling 
snow,  and  gradually  accumulates  into  a  surface  layer  as  the  snow  melts 
dunng  the  summer.  Larger  quantities  of  mud.  however,  are  also  often 
to  be  found  on  the  ice.  which  strongly  resemble  this  dust  in  color,  but 
are  doubtless  more  directly  connected  with  land,  being  formed  on  Hoes 
that  have  originally  lain  in  close  proximity  to  it.  (Compare  Wissensch. 
Err^ebmsse  von  Dr.  F.  Nausais  Durchqucr,a,g  von  Gronland.  Ergcinzungs- 
heft  No.  105  ZH  Petermanns  M/tt/teihtngen.) 

1 1  have  not  yet  had  tin.e  to  examine  them  closely. 


If" 

it' 


hi 

'  ;. 
hi 


'i 


A    SUMMKK    KVKNING.       JULY     1 4,   1 894 

{From  a  photograph) 


\*  '  -  -*-    -i-  T-?*-*!*: 


k  il 


THE  SPRING  ANI>  SUMMER    OE  18^4  507 

the  surface.  It  was  evident  that  these  accumulations  of 
diatoms  and  alga  remained  floating  exactly  at  the  depth 
where  the  upper  stratum  of  fresh  water  rests  on  the  sea- 


P.LESSING    FISHING    FOR    ALG/T. 

{From  a  P/io/ogrn/'/t) 

water.  The  water  on  the  surface  was  entirely  fresh,  and 
the  masses  of  diatoms  sank  in  it,  but  floated  on  reachino- 
the  salt-water  below. 

"Thursday,  July   19th.      It  is  as  I  expected.      I  am 
beginning  to  know  '1.-  ways  of  the  wind  up  here  pretty 


If 


m 


VV\  i'l 


-\^\ 


I  nwwi  irh  »  %t  *.«^ta 


M 


5o8 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


s  . 


.t\  ,  I 


1 1  !, 


well  now.  After  having  blown  a  '  windmill  breeze  '  to- 
day it  falls  calm  in  the  evening,  and  to-morrow  we  shall 
probably  have  wind  from  the  west  or  northwest. 

"  Yesterday  evening  the  last  cigar  out  of  the  old  box ! 
And  now  1  have  smoked  the  first  out  of  the  last  box  I 
have  got.  We  were  to  have  got  so  far  by  the  time  that 
box  was  finished ;  but  are  scarcely  any  farther  advanced 
than  when  I  began  it,  and  goodness  knows  if  we  shall 
be  that  when  this,  too,  has  disappeared.  But  enough  of 
that.     Smoke  away. 

"Sunday,  July  22d.  The  northwest  wind  did  not 
come  quite  up  to  time ;  on  Friday  we  had  northeast  in- 
stead, and  during  the  night  it  gradually  went  round  to 
N.N.E.,  and  yesterday  forenoon  it  blew  due  north.  To- 
day it  has  ended  in  the  west,  the  old  well-known  quarter, 
of  which  we  have  had  more  than  enough.  This  evening 
the  line*  shows  about  N.W.  to  N.,  and  it  is  strong,  so  we 
are  moving  south  again. 

"  I  pass  the  day  at  the  microscope.  I  am  now  busied 
with  the  diatoms  and  algae  of  all  kinds  that  grow  on  the 
ice  in  the  uppermost  fresh  stratum  of  the  sea.  These  are 
undeniably  most  interesting  things,  a  whole  new  world 
of  organisms  that  are  carried  off  by  the  ice  from  known 
shores  across  the  unknown  Polar  Sea,  there  to  awaken 
every  summer  and  develop  into  life  and  bloom.     Yes,  it 


*  We  always  had  a  line,  with  a  net  at  the  end,  hanging  out,  in  order 
to  see  the  direction  we  were  drifting,  or  to  ascertain  whether  there  was 
any  perceptible  current  in  the  water. 


'"•^mmmm 


THE   SPUING  AND  SUMMER    OF  1894  509 

is  very  interesting  work,  but  yet  there  is  not  that  same 
burning  interest  as  of  old,  although  the  scent  of  oil  of 
cloves,  Canada  balsam,  and  wood-oil  awakens  many  dear 


PRESSURE-RIDCE    ON    THE    PORT    QUARTER    OF    THE    "  FRAM  " 

(JULY    I,    1894) 

(From  a  Photograph) 

reminiscences  of  that  quiet  laboratory  at  home,  and  every 
morning  as  I  come  in  here  the  microscope  and  glasses 
and  colors  on  the  table  invite  me  to  work.     But  thouo-h 


5IO 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


n  \ 


m 


I  work  indefatigably  day  after  day  till  late  in  the  night, 
it  is  mostly  duty  work,  and  I  am   not  sorry  when  it  is 
finished,  to  go  and  lie  for  some  few  hours  in  my  berth 
reading  a  novel  and  smoking  a  cigar.     With  what  exul- 
tation would  I  not  throw  the  whole  aside,  spring  up,  and 
lay  hold  of  real  life,  fighting  my  way  over  ice  and  sea 
with  sledges,  boats,  or  kayaks !     It  is  more  than  true  that 
it  is  '  easy  to  live  a  life  of  battle ' ;  but  here  there  is  neither 
storm  nor  battle,  and  I  thirst  after  them.     I  long  to  en- 
list titanic  forces  and  fight  my  way  forward — that  would 
be  living !     But  what  pleasure  is  there  in  strength  when 
there  is  nothing  for  it  to  do  ?     Here  we  drift  forward,  and 
here  we  drift  back,  and  now  we  have  been  two  months 
on  the  same  spot.        i 

"  Everything,  however,  is  being  got  ready  for  a  possible 
expedition,  or  for  the  contingency  of  its  becoming  neces- 
sary to  abandon  the  ship.  All  the  hand-sledges  are 
lashed  together,  and  the  iron  fittings  carefully  seen  to. 
Six  dog-sledges  are  also  being  made,  and  to-morrow  we 
shall  begin  building  kayaks  ready  for  the  men.  They 
are  easy  to  draw  on  hand-sledges  in  case  of  a  retreat 
over  the  ice  without  the  ship.  For  a  beginning  we  are 
making  kayaks  to  hold  two  men  each.  I  intend  to  have 
them  about  12  feet  long,  3  feet  wide,  and  18  inches  in 
depth.  Six  of  these  are  to  be  made.  They  are  to  be 
covered  with  sealskin  or  sail-cloth,  and  to  be  decked  all 
over,  except  for  two  holes — one  for  each  man. 

"  I  feel  that  we  have,  or  rather  shall  have,  everything 


o 
o 


S 
> 

0 


?-v---  ;^-3^y.-  ^^-.'-iJ-.M'y^.- 


.*'^>i'.-^aT/^r'  ■.' 


>    I 


i    i 


n  ■ 


m 

1    ■  1 

pUp 

■  i 

»| 

W| 

i 

I  ■: 


ii 


ill  it 

K#l 

^Hk'.Mc'    ii. 

Hufil'-IL 

THE   SPRING  AND  SUMMER   O/'   1SQ4  513 


needful  for  a  brilliant  retreat  Sometimes  I  seem  almost 
to  be  longing  for  a  defeat— a  decisive  one— so  that  we 
might  have  a  chance  of  showing  what  is  in  us,  and  put- 
ting  an  end  to  this  irksome  inactivity. 

"  Monday,   July    30th.     Westerly  wind,  with    north- 
westerly by  way  of  a  pleasant  variety  ,  such  is  our  daily 
fare  week  after  week.     On  coming  up  in  the  morning  I 
no  longer  care  to  look  at  the  weathercock  on  the  mast- 
head,  or  at  the  line  in  the  water;  for  I  know  beforehand 
that  the  former  points  east  or  southeast,  and  the  line  in 
the  contrary  direction,  and  that  we  are  ever  bearino-  to 
the  southeast.     Yesterday  it  was  81°  7'  north  latitude, 
the  day  before  81"  11',  and  last  Monday,  July  25th,  81"  26'. 
"  But  it  occupies  my  thoughts  no  longer.    I  know  well 
enough  there  will  be  a  change  some  time  or  other,  and 
the  way  to  the   sta.s   leads   through  adversity.     I  have 
found  a  new  world ;  and  that  is  the  world  of  animal  and 
plant  life  that  exists  in  almost  every  fresh-water  pool  on 
the  ice-floes.     From  morning  till  evening  and  till  late  in 
the  night  I  am  absorbed  with  the  microscope,  and  see 
nothing  around  me.     1  live  with  these  tiny  beings  in  their 
separate  universe,  where  they  are  born  and  die,  generation 
after  generation;   where  they  pursue  each  other  in   the 
struggle  for  life,  and  carry  on  their  love  affairs  with  the 
same  feelings,  the  same  sufferings,  and  the  same  joys  that 
permeate  every  living  being  from  these  microscopic  ani- 
malcules up  to  man— self-preservation  and  propagation— 

that  is  the  whole  story.     Fiercely  as  we  human  beiiTgs 
33 


I 


514 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


Struggle  to  push  our  w.iy  on  through  the  labyrinth  of  life, 
their  struggles  are  assuredly  no  less  fu-rre  than  ours— one 
incessant,  restless  hurrying  to  and  fro,  i)ushing  all  others 
aside,  to  biM-row  out  for  themselves  what  is  needful  to 
theiu.  And  as  to  love,  only  mark  with  what  passion  they 
seek  each  other  out.  With  all  our  brain-cells,  we  do  not 
feel  more  strongly  than  they,  ne\cr  live  so  entirely  for  a 
sensation.  Hut  what  is  life?  What  matters  the  individ- 
ual's suffering  so  lonir  as  the  strutisile  iroes  on  ? 

"  And  these  are  small,  one-celled  hmips  of  viscous 
matter,  teeming  in  thousands  and  millions,  on  nearly 
every  single  floe  over  the  whole  of  this  boundless  sea, 
which  we  are  apt  to  regard  as  the  realm  of  death.  Mother 
Nature  has  a  remarkable  power  of  producing  life  every- 
where — even  this  ice  is  a  fruitful  soil  for  her. 

"  In  the  evening  a  little  variety  occurred  in  our  un- 
eventful existence,  Johansen  having  di.scovered  a  bear  to 
the  southeast  of  the  ship,  but  out  of  range.  It  had,  no 
doubt,  been  prowling  about  for  some  time  while  we  were 
below  at  supi)er,  and  had  been  quite  near  us;  but,  being 
alarmed  by  some  sound  or  other,  had  gone  off  eastward. 
Sverdrup  and  I  set  out  after  it,  but  to  no  purpose;  tiie 
lanes  hindered  us  too  much,  and,  moreover,  a  fog  came 
on,  so  that  we  had  to  return  after  having  gon^  a  good 
distance." 

The  world  of  organisms  I  above  alluded  to  was  the 
subject  of  special  research  through  the  short  summer, and 
in  m:.ny  respects  was  quite  remarkable.     When  the  sun's 


m 


,j»   ^-■*».tfsT^^j;v..-*.1g^71g«}:^CSjg'.-<Si^y*W.'ie.i>"  *■'•"•  ?^^-  -W^\^ 


\mywmmAmvm 


THE  srN/NG  AM)  su.\r\f/:n  O/,-  /.svy  515 

rays  had   tj;anvj(l   jmvvfr  on   the  .surface  of  the  ice   ami 
melted  the  snow,  so  that  pools  were  formed,  there    was 
soon   to  |)e  seen  at  the  bottom  of  these  pools  small  yei- 
lowish- brown  spots,  so  small    that   at   first   one    hardly 
noticed  them.      Day  by  day  they  increased   in  si/e,  and 
absorbinn-,  like  all  dark  substances,  the  heal  of  the  sun's 
rays,  they  jrradually  melted  the  undcrlyino-  jce  and  formrd 
K.umI  cavities,  often  several  inches  deep.     ThrM-  j.nnvn 
sjiots  were  the  above-mentioned  al^a'  and  diatoms.     They 
developed   speedily    in  the  summer  h\oht,  and   would  fill 
the  bottoms  of  the  cavities  with  a  thick  layer.      Hut  there 
were  not  plants  only,  thi'  water  also  teemed  with  swarms 
of  animalcules,  mostly  infusoria  and  lla,<L(ellata,  which  sub- 
sisted on    the  plants.     I  actually  found  bacteria —  even 
these  rejrions  are  not  free  from  them  ! 

Hut  I  could  not  always  remain  chained  by  the  micro- 
scope. Sometimes,  when  the  fine  weather  tempted  me 
irresistibly,  I  had  to  _o(,  out  and  bake  myself  in  the  sun, 
and  imagine  myself  in  Norway. 

"Saturday,  Aui>ust  4th.  Lovely  weather  yesterday 
and  to-day.  Light,  fleecy  clouds  sailing  high  aloft 
through  the  sparkling  azure  sky— filling  one's  soul  with 
longings  to  soar  as  high  and  as  free  as  they.     I  have  just 


been  out  on  deck  this  eveni 


nu 


one  cou 


Id  al 


most  imaLT- 


ine  one's  self  at  home  by  the  fjord.     Saturday  eveni 


ntrs 


peace  seemed  to  rest  on  th 


e  scene 


and 


on  one  s  soul 


"  Our  sailmakers,  Sverdrui)  and  Amundsen,  have  to- 
day finished  covering  the  first  double  kayak  with  sail-cloth. 


':  "'i 


ii 


If 


St6 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


Fully  equipped,  it  weighs  30.5  kilos.  (60  lbs.).  I  think  it 
will  prove  a  first-rate  contrivance.  Sverdrup  and  1  tried 
it  on  a  pool.  It  carried  us  splendidly,  and  was  so  stiff  that 
even  sitting  on  the  deck  we  could  handle  it  quite  com- 
fortably.  It  will  easily  caxry  two  men  with  full  equip- 
ment for  100  days.  A  handier  or  more  piactical  craft 
for  regions  like  this  I  cannot  well  imao-ine 

"  Sunday,  August  5th.     81°  7'  north  latitude. 

" '  I  can't  forget  the  sparkling  fjord 

When  the  church  boat  rows  in  the  morning.' 

"  Brilliant  summer  weather.     I  bathe  in  the  sun  and 
dream  I  am  at  home  either  on  the  high  mountains  or 
—heaven  knows  why— on  the  fjords  of  the  west  coast. 
The  same  white  fleecy  clouds  in  the  clear  blue  summer 
sky ;  heiven  arches  itself  overhead  like  a  perfect  dome, 
there  is   nothing  to  bar  one's  way,  and  the  soul   rises 
up   unfettered    beneath   it.     What   matters    it   that   the 
world    below    is    different  — the    ice    no    lonjrer    sincde 
glittering  glaciers,  but  spread  out  on   every  hand .?      Is 
it  not  these  same  fleecy  clouds  far  away  in   the  blue 
expanse   that   the  eye  looks  for  at  home    on    a   bright 
summer  day.?     Sailing  on  these,  fancy  steers  its  course 
to  the  land  of  wistful  longing.     And  it  is  just  at  these 
glittering  glaciers   in  the  distance    that   we   direct    our 
longing   gaze.     Why  should    not   a   summer  day  be  as 
lovely  here.?     Ah,  yes!    it   is   lovely,    pure  as   a  dream, 
without    desire,    without    sin;    a    poem    of   clear    white 


THE   SPRING  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  517 

sunbeams  refracted  in  the  cool  crystal  blue  of  the  ice. 
How  unutterably  delightful  does  net  this  world  appear  to 
us  on  some  stifling  summer  day  at  home  ? 

"  Have  rested  and  '  kept  Sunday.'  I  could  not  remain 
in  the  whole  day,  so  took  a  trip  over  the  ice.  Proo-ress 
is  easy  except  for  the  lanes. 

"  Hansen  practised  kayak-paddling  this  afternoon  on 
the  pool  around  the  ship,  from  which  several  channels 
diverge   over    the   ice;    but    he    was    not    content   with 
paddling  round   in  them,  but  must,  of  course,  make  an 
experiment  in  capsizing  and  recovering   himself  as    the 
Esknnos  do.     It   ended    by  his    not  coming   up  again, 
losing    his    paddle,    remaining    head   downward    in    the 
water,  and  beating  about  with   his    hands    till    the  kyak 
filled,  and  he  got  a  cold  bath  from  top  to  toe.     Nordahl, 
who  was  standing  by  on  the  ice  to  help  him,  at  last  found 
it  necessary  to  go  in  after  him  and  raise  him  up  on  an 
even  keel  again,  to  the  great  amusement  of  us  others. 

"  One  can  notice  that  it  is  summer.  This  evenino-  a 
game  of  cards  is  being  played  on  deck,  with  'Peik's'* 
big  pot  for  a  card-table.  One  could  almost  think  it  was 
an  August  evening  at  home ;  only  the  toddy  is  wanting, 
but  the  pipes  and  cigars  we  have. 

"Sunday,  August  12th.  We  had  a  shooting  compe- 
tition in  the  forenoon. 

"  A  glorious  evening.     I  took  a  stroll  over  the  ice 


!    ('1 


*  The  name  given  to  the  cooking-stove. 


Si8 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


;)'    * 


among  the  lanes  and  hummocks.     It  was  so  wonderfully 
calm  and  still.     Not  a  sound  to  be  heard  but  the  drip, 
drip  of  water  from  a  block  of  ice,  and  the  dull  sound  of 
a  snow-slip  from  some  hummock  in  the  distance.     The 
sun  is  low  down  in  the  north,  and  overhead  is  the  pale 
blue   dome    of   heaven,  with   gold -edged  clouds.      The 
profound  peace  of  the  Arctic  solitudes.     My  thoughts 
fly  free  and  far.     If  one  could  only  give  utterance  to  all 
that  stirs  one's  soul  on  such  an  evening  as  this !     What 
an  incomprehensible  power  one's  surroundings  have  over 
one ! 

"  Why  is  it  that  at  times  I  complain  of  the  loneliness.? 
With  Nature  around  one,  with  one's  books  and  studies, 
one  can  never  be  quite  alone. 

"  Thursday,  August  i6th.      Yesterday  evening,  as    I 
was  lying  in  my  berth  reading,  and  all  except  the  watch 
had  turned   in,  I    heard    the   report  of  a  gun   on  deck 
over  my   head.      Thinking  it   was  a   bear,  I    hurriedly 
put  on    my  sea -boots  and  sprang  on  deck.     There    I 
saw  Johansen  bareheaded,  rifle  in   hand.     'Was  it  you 
that  f^red  the  shot  ?'     '  Yes.     I  shot  at  the  big  hummock 
yonder— I   thought    something   was  stirring   there,  and 
I  wanted  to  see  what  it  was,  but  it  seems  to  have  been 
nothing.'     I    went  to   the   railings  and   looked    out.     '  I 
fancied  it  was  a  bear  that  was  after  our  meat— but  it  was 
nothing.'     As  we  stood  there  one  of  the  dogs  came  jog. 
ging   along  from   the  big   hummock.     'There,  you  see 
what  you  have  shot  at,'  I  said,  laughing.     '  I'm  bothered 


i'Vi 


A    SUMMER    EVENING.      JULY    1 4,    1894 


m 

it 


i  li 


iFroiii  ,1  Z'liiitiii^rii/'/i) 


n; 


i5' 


-  --"'■t^V'«r'flf'-A\«irtjBUJIl.*i  jr^-'t'^i'M 


:m>iitmt»zrm 


THE   SPRING  AND  SUMMER    OF  18,^4 


521 


if  it  wasn't  a  dog!'  he  replied.  '  Ice-bear'  it  was,  true 
enough,  for  so  we  called  this  dog.  It  had  seemed  so  large 
in  the  fog,  scratching  at  the  meat  hummock.  '  Did  you 
aim  at  the  dog  and  miss .?  That  was  a  lucky  chance !' 
'No!  I  simply  fired  at  random  in  that  direction,  for  I 
wanted  to  see  what  it  was.'  I  went  below  and  turned 
in  again.  At  breakfast  to-day  he  had,  of  course,  to  run 
the  gantlet  of  some  sarcastic  questions  about  his  'harm- 
less thunderbolt,'  but  he  parried  them  adroitly  enough. 

"Tuesday,   August    21st.      North    latitude,    8i°''4.2'. 
Strange  how  little  alteration  there  is:  we  drift  a  little  to 
the  north,  then  a  little  to  the  south,  and  keep  almost  to 
the  same  spot.     But   I  believe,  as  I   have    believed  all 
along,  since  before  we  even  set  out,  that  we  should  be 
away  three  years,  or  rather  three  winters  and  four  sum- 
mers, neither  more  nor  less,  and  that  in  about  two  years' 
time  from   this  present  autumn  we  shall   reach  home.* 
The  approaching  winter  will   drift  us  farther,  however 
slowly,  and  it  begins  already  to  announce  itself,  for  there 
were  four  degrees  of  cold  last  nio-ht. 

"  Sunday,  August  26th.  It  seems  almost  as  If  winter 
had  come ;  the  cold  has  kept  on  an  average  between 
24.8°  Fahr.  (-4°  C.)  and  21.2'  Fahr.  (-6°  C.)  since 
Thursday.  There  are  only  slight  variations  in  the  tem- 
perature up  here,  so  we  may  expect  it  to  fall  regularly 
from  this  time  forth,  though  it  is  rather  early  for  winter 

*  It  was  two  years  later  to  a  day  that  the  Fram  put  in  at  Skiervo 
on  the  coast  of  Norway.  •^k.jlfvo, 


(■1 


i   \% 


Wi  i] 


«: 


til 


I    I 


Tf 


% 


522 


FAKTIfEST  NORTH 


%:\ 


to  set  I'ji.  All  the  pools  and  lanes  arc  covered  with 
ice,  thick  enough  to  bear  a  man  even  without  snow- 
shoes. 

"  I    went  out  on  niv   snow-shoes  both  niornino-  and 
afternoon.    The  surface  was  beautiful  everywhere.    Some 
of  the  lanes  had  opened  out  or  been  compressed  a  little, 
so  that  the  new  ice  was  thin  and  bent  unpleasantly  under 
the  snow-shoes;  but  it  bore  me,  though  two  of  the  dogs 
fell  through.     A  good  deal  of  snow  had  fallen,  so  there 
was  fine,  soft  new  snow   to  travel  over.     If  it   keeps  on 
as  it  is  now,  there  will  be  excellent  snow-shoeing  in  the 
winter;  for  it  is  fresh  water  that  now  ficezes  on  the  sur- 
face, so   that   there  is  no  salt   that  the  wind  can  carry 
from  the  new  ice  to  spoil  the  snow  all  around,  as  was 
the  case  last  winter.     Such  snow  with  salt  in  it  makes 
as  heavy  a  surface  as  sand. 

"Monday,  August  27th.  Just  as  Blessino-  was  <ioin<'- 
below  after  his  watch  to-night,  and  was  standing  by  the 
rail  looking  out,  he  saw  a  white  form  that  lay  rolling  in 
the  snow  a  little  way  off  to  the  southeast.  Afterwards 
it  remained  for  a  while  lying  quite  still.  Johansen,  who 
was  to  relieve  Blessing,  now  joined  him,  and  they  both 
stood  watching  the  animal  intently.  Presently  it  got  up, 
so  there  was  no  longer  any  doubt  as  to  what  it  was.  Each 
got  hold  of  a  rifle  and  crejjt  stealthily  towards  the  fore- 
castle, where  they  waited  quietly  while  the  bear  cautiously 
approached  the  ship,  making  long  tacks  against  the  wind. 
A  fresh   breeze  was  blowing,    and    the    windmill   goin"- 


^...^^...ii^^mmmmmf^'^ 


:recl  with 
it  snow- 
ling  and 
1.  Some 
I  .1  little, 
ly  under 
:he  do''S 
so  there 
eeps  on 
g  in  the 
the  sur- 
m  carry 
as  was 
t  makes 


s  sjroHiu 
;  by  the 
lling  in 
erwards 
L'n,  who 
jy  both 
got  up, 
>.  Each 
ic  fore- 
itiously 
e  wind. 


gomg 


2V//i   Sy'A'JJVG  AND   SUMMER    OF  1894  523 

round  at  full  speed ;  but  this  did  not  alarm  him  at  all; 
very  likely  it  was  this  very  thing  he  wanted  to  examine.' 
At  last  he  reached  the  lane  in  front,  when  they  both  f^red 
and  he  fell  down  dead  on  the  spot.  It  was  nice  to  get 
fresh  meat  again.  This  was  the  first  bear  we  had  shot 
this  year,  and  of  course  we  had  roast  bear  for  dinner  to- 
day.    Regular  winter  with  snow-storms. 

"Wednesday,  August  29th.     A  fresh  wind;  it  rattles 
and  pipes  in  the  rigging  aloft.    An  enlivening  change  and 
no  mistake!      The  snow  drifts  as  if  it  were  midwinter. 
Fine  August  weather!     F.ut  we  are  bearing  north  again, 
and  we  have  need  to!     Yesterday  our  latitude  was^  So^' 
53.5'-     This  evening  I  was  standing  in  the  hold  at  work 
on  my  new  bamboo  kayak,  which  will  be  the  very  acme 
of  lightness.    Pcttersen  happened  to  come  down,  and  gave 
me  a  hand  with  some  lashings  that  I  was  busy  with.    We 
chatted  a  little  about  things  in   general;  and  he   was  of 
oj^inion  '  that  we  had  a  good  crib  of  it  on  board  the  Fmm, 
because  here  we  had  everything  we  wanted,  and  she  was 
a  devil  of  a  ship— and  any  other  ship  would  have  been 
crushed  flat  long  ago.'     But  for  all  that  he  would  not  be 
afraid,  he  said,  to  leave;  her,  when  he  saw  all  the  contriv- 
ances, such   as   these   new   kayaks,  we  had  been  crettino- 
ready.      He  was  sure  no  former  expedition  had  ever  had 
such  contrivances,  or  been  so  equipped  against  all  possi- 
ble emergencies  as  we.     But,  after  all,  he  would  prefer  to 
return  home  on  the  FranC     Then  we  talked  about  what 
we  should  do  when  we  did  get  home. 


n;i 


I 


Ii='» 


'i: 


1.      M 


524 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


" '  Oh,  for  your  part,  no  doubt  you'll  be  off  to  the 
South  Pole,'  he  said. 

" '  And  you  ?'  I  replied.  '  Will  you  tuck  up  your  sleeves 
and  begin  again  at  the  old  work?' 

'"Oh,  very  likely  !  but  on  my  word  I  ought  to  have  a 
week's  holiday  first.  After  such  a  trip  I  should  want  it, 
before  buckling  to  at  the  sledge-hammer  again.'" 


,-a;Bifi#3(^ji»5.*«frai4»"*.« 


CHAPTER   VIII 


SECOND     AUTUMN     IN     THE    ICE 


So  summer  was  over,  and  our  second   autumn  and 
winter  was  beginning.      liut  we  were  now  more  inured 
to  the  trials  of  patience  attendant  on  this  h"fe,  and  time 
passed    quickly.     Besides,  I   myself  was   now   taken    up 
with  new  plans  and  preparations.     Allusion  has  several 
times  been  made  to   the  fact  that  we  had,  durino-  the 
course  of  the  summer,  got  everything  into  readiness  for 
the  possibility  of  having  to  make  our  way  home  across 
the  ice.     Six  double   kayaks  had  been  built,  the  hand- 
sledges  were  in  good  order,  and  careful  calculation  had 
been   made  of   the  amount  of   food,  clothing,  fuel,  etc., 
that   it  would  be    necessary  to  carry.     But   I   had  also 
:ietly  begun   to   make  preparations  for  my  own   medi- 
-d  expedition  north.     In  August,  as  already  mentioned, 
..  had   begun   to  work  at  a  single  kayak,  the  framework 
made  of  bamboo.      I  had   said  nothing  about  my  plan 
yet,  except  a  few  words  to  Sverdrup ;  it  was  impossible 
to  tell  how  far  north  the  drift  would  take  us,  and  so  many 
things  might  happen  before  sprin"-. 

In   the    meantime   life   on   board   went   on   as    usual. 


Ig# 


526 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


W\ 


m 


There  were  the  regular  observations  and  all  sorts  of 
occupations,  and  I  myself  was  not  so  absorbed  in  my 
plans  that  I  did  not  find  time  for  other  things  too. 
Thus  I  see  from  my  diary  that  in  the  end  of  August 
and  in  September  I  must  have  been  very  proud  of  a 
invention    that    I    made    for    the    galley.     All    last 


new 


year   we    had  cooked   on    a   particular   kind    of   copper 
range,  heated  by  petroleum  lamps.     It  was  quite  satis- 
factory,  except  that  it  burned  several  quarts  of  petroleum 
a   day.     I   could   not   help  fearing  sometimes  that   our 
lighting  supply  might  run  short,  if  the  expedition  lasted 
longer   than   was   expected,  and   always  wondered   if  it 
would  .lot   be  possible  to   construct  an  apparatus  that 
would  burn  coal-oil—"  black-oil,"  as  we  call  it  on  board 
—of  which  we  had  20  tons,  originally  intended   for  the 
engine.    And  I  succeeded  in  making  such  an  apparatus. 
On  August  30th  I  write :  "  Have  tried  my  newly  invented 
coal-oil  apparatus  for  heating  the  range,  and  it  is  beyond 
expectation  successful.     It  is  splendid  that  we  shall  be 
able  to  burn  coal-oil  in  the  galley.     Now  there  is  no  fear 
of  our  having  to  cry  ourselves   blind  for  lack   of  liaht 
by-and-by.     This   adds   more   than  4000  gallons   to  our 
stock  of  oil;   and  we  can  keep  all  our  fine  petroleum 
now  for  lighting  purposes,  and  have  lamps  for  many  a 
year,  even  if  we  are  a  little  extravagant.     The  20  tons  of 
coal-oil  ought  to   keep  the  range    going  for  4   years,  I 
think. 

"The  contrivance  is  as  simple  as  possible.     From  a 


t ». 


Ill   my 


SECOXD  AUTUMN  JN   THE   JCE 
reservoir  of  oil  a  pipe  leads  down  and  into  the  firepl 


52; 


place ; 

the  oil  drips  down  from  the  end  of  this  pipe  into  an  iron 

wl,  and  is  here  sucked  up  by  a  sheet  of  asbestos,  or 


bo 


by  coal  ashes.     The  flow  of  oil  fi 
by  a  fine  valve  cock.     T 
a  ventilatii 


o  ins 


om  the  pipe  is  regulated 
lire  a  good  draught,  I  bring 
from  outside  right  by  the  range  door. 
Air  is  pressed  through  this  by  a  large  wind-sail  on  deck, 
and  blows  straight  on  to  the  iron  bowl,  where  the  oil 
burns  briskly  with  a  clear,  white  flame.  Whoever  lights 
the  fire  in  the  morning  has  only  to  go  on  deck  and^'see 
that  the  wind-sail  is  set  to  the  wind,  to  open  the  venti- 
lator, to  turn  the  cock  so  that  the  oil  runs  properly,  and 
then  set  it  burning  with  a  scrap  of  paper.  It  looks  after 
itself,  and  the  water  is  boiling  in  twenty  minutes  or  half 
an  hour.  One  could  not  have  anything  much  easier  than 
this,  it  seems  to  me.  Hut  of  course  in  our,  as  in  other 
communities,  it  is  difficult  to  introduce  reforms;  every- 
thing new  is  looked  upon  with  suspicion." 

Somewhat  later  I  write  of  the  same  apparatus :  "  We 
are  now  using  the  galley  again,  with  the  coal-oil  fire; 
the  moving  down  took  place  the  day  before  yesterday,* 
and  the  fire  was  used  yesterday.  It  works  capitally;  a 
three-foot  wind  is  enough  to  give  a  splendid  draught. 
The  day  before  yesterday,  when  I  was  sitting  with  some 
of  the  others  in  the  saloon  in  the  afternoon,  I  heard  a  dull 


*  During'  the  summer  \vc  had  made  a  kitchen  of  the  chart-room  on 
deck,  because  of  the  good  daylight  there;  and,  besides,  the  galley  proper 
was  to  be  cleaned  and  painted. 


tl 


A^ 


irr 


') 


f , 


.«' 


L\:  I 


528 


FAKTIIF.ST  NORTH 


report  out  In  the  galley,  and  said  at  once  that  it  sounded 
like  an  exi)lo.sion.     I^resently  Petterson*  stuck  a  head  in 
at  the  door  as  black  as  a  sweep's,  great  lumps  of  soot 
all  over  it,  and   said  that  the  stove  had  exploded  ricrju 
into  his  face;  he  was  only  going  to  look  if  it  was  burn- 
ing rightly,  and  the  whole  fiendish  thing  flew  out  at  him. 
A  stream    of  words   not    unmingled   with    oaths   flowed 
like  peas  out  of  a  sack,  while  the  rest  of  us  yelled  with 
laughter.     In  the  galley  it  was  easy  to  see  that  something 
had  hapj)cned;  the  walls  were  covered  with  soot  in  lumps 
and  stripes  pointing  towards  the  fireplace.     The  explana- 
tion of  the  accident  was  simple  enough.     The  draught 
had  been  insufificient,  and   a  quantity  of  gas  had  formed 
which  had  not  been  able  to  burn  until  air  was  let  in  by 
Fettersen  opening  the  door. 

"  This  is  a  good  beginning.  I  told  Pettersen  in  the 
evening  that  I  would  do  the  cooking  myself  next  day, 
when  the  real  trial  was  to  be  made.  I3ut  he  would  not 
hear  of  such  a  thing;  he  said  '  I  was  not  to  think  that  he 
minded  a  trifle  like  that;  I  might  trust  to  its  being  all 
right'— and  it  tvas  all  right.  From  that  day  I  heard 
nothing  but  praise  of  the  new  apparatus,  and  it  was  used 
until  the  Fram  was  out  in  the  open  sea  again. 

"Thursday,  September  6th.  81°  13.7'  north  latitude. 
Have  I  been  married  five  years  to-day?  Last  year  this 
was  a  day  of  victory  —  when  the    ice -fetters   burst  at 

*  Pettersen  had  been  advanced  from  smitli  to  cook,  and  he  and  Juell 
took  turns  of  a  fortnight  each  in  the  galley. 


iJ  1 


'  -^"■:i.J'  "•*-''<"i..r.«»Kn» 


PETEkSSEN    AFTER    THE    EXPLOSION 


U\ 


-~  ^'1 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE  ICE 


531 


Taimur  Island — but  there  is  no  thouglit  of  victory  now; 
we  are  not  so  far  north  as  I  had  expected;   the  north- 
west wind  has  come  again,  and  we  are  drifting  south. 
And  yet  the  future  does  not  seem   to  me  so  lono-  and 
so  dark  as   it   sometimes  has  done.      Next   September 
6th   ..  .  can  it  be  possible  that  then  every  fetter  will 
have  burst,  and  we  shall  be  sitting  together  talkino-  of 
this  time  in  the  far  north  and  of  all  the  lono-ino-,  as  of 
something  that  once  was  and  that  will  never  be  ao-ain  ? 
The  long,  long  night  is  past;  the  morning  is  just  break- 
ing, and  a  glorious  new  day  lies  before  us.     And  what 
is  there  against  this  happening  next  year?     Why  should 
not   this    winter   carry  the  Fram   west   to   some   place 
north   of   Franz  Josef    Land?  .    .  .  and    then   my  time 
has  come,  and  off  I  go  with  dogs  and  sledges — to  the 
north.     My   heart   beats  with    joy  at   the  very  thought 
of   it.      The   winter    shall    be    spent    in    making   every 
preparation  for  that  expedition,  and  it  will  pass  quickly. 

"  I  have  already  spent  much  time  on  these  prepara- 
tions. I  think  of  everything  that  must  be  taken,  and 
how  it  is  to  be  arranged,  and  the  more  I  look  at  the 
thing  from  all  points  of  view,  the  more  firmly  convinced 
do  I  become  that  the  attempt  will  be  successful,  if  only 
the  Fram  can  get  north  in  reasonable  time,  not  too  late 
in  the  spring.  If  she  could  just  reach  84°  or  85°,  then 
I  should  be  off  in  the  end  of  February  or  the  first  days 
of  March,  as  soon  as  the  daylight  comes,  after  the  long 
winter   night,  and   the  whole   would   go   like   a   dance. 


l\ 


h 
li 

I 

I 


V  !■   1 


! 


532 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


!!»■*     t 


Only  four  or  five  months,  and  the  time  for  action  will 
have  come  again.  What  joy!  When  I  look  out  over 
the  ice  now  it  is  as  if  my  muscles  quivered  with  lono-- 
ing  to  be  striding  off  over  it  in  real  earnest  —  fatio-ue 
and  privation  will  then  be  a  delight.  It  may  seem 
foolish  that  I  should  be  determined  to  go  off  on  this 
expedition,  when,  perhaps,  I  might  do  more  important 
work  quietly  here  on  board.  But  the  daily  observations 
will  be  carried  on  exactly  the  same. 

"  I  have  celebrated  the  day  by  arranging  my  work- 
room for  the  winter.  I  have  put  in  a  petroleum  stove, 
and  expect  that  this  will  make  it  warm  enough  even  in 
the  coldest  weather,  with  the  snowballs  that  I  intend 
to  build  round  the  outside  of  it,  and  a  good  roof-cov- 
ering of  snow.  At  least,  double  the  amount  of  work 
will  be  done  if  this  cabin  can  be  used  in  winter,  and  I 
can  sit  up  here  instead  of  in  the  midst  of  the  racket 
below.  I  have  such  comfortable  times  of  it  now,  in 
peace  and  quietness,  letting  my  thoughts  take  their  way 
unchecked. 

"  Sunday,  September  9th.  81°  4'  north  latitude.  The 
midnight  sun  disappeared  some  days  ago,  and  already 
the  sun  sets  in  the  northwest;  it  is  gone  by  10  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  there  is  once  more  a  glow  over  the 
eternal  white.     Winter  is  coming  fast. 

"  Another  peaceful  Sunday,  with  rest  from  work,  and 
a  little  reading.  Out  snow-shoeing  to-day  I  crossed 
several  frozen -over  lanes,  and  very  slight  packing  has 


u 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


533 


begun  here  and  there.  I  was  stopped  at  last  by  a  broad 
open  lane  lying  pretty  nearly  north  and  south ;  at  places 
it  was  400  to  500  yards  across,  and  I  saw  no  end  to  it 
either  north  or  south.  The  surface  was  good ;  one  o-ot 
along  quickly,  with  no  exertion  at  all  when  it  was  in  the 
direction  of  the  wind. 

"  This  is  undeniably  a  monotonous  life.  Sometimes  it 
feels  to  me  like  a  long  dark  night,  my  life's  '  Ragnarok,'* 
dividing  it  into  two.  .  .  .  'The  sun  is  darkened,  the 
summers  with  it,  all  weather  is  weighty  with  woe';  snow 
covers  the  earth,  the  wind  whistles  over  the  endless 
plains,  and  for  three  years  this  winter  lasts,  till  comes  the 
time  for  the  great  battle,  and  'men  tramp  Hel's  way.' 
There  is  a  hard  struggle  between  life  and  death;  but 
after  that  comes  the  reign  of  peace.  The  earth  rises 
from  the  sea  again,  and  decks  itself  anew  with  verdure. 
'  Torrents  roar,  eagles  hover  over  them,  watching  for  fish 
among  the  rocks,'  and  then  'Valhalla,'  fairer  than  the 
sun,  and  long  length  of  happy  days. 

"  Pettersen,  who  is  cook  this  week,  came  in  here  this 
evening,  as  usual,  to  get  the  bill  of  fare  for  next  day. 
When  his  business  was  done,  he  stood  for  a  minute,  and 
then  said  that  he  had  had  such  a  strange  dream  last 
night;  he  had  wanted  to  be  taken  as  cook  with  a  new 
expedition,  but  Dr.  Nansen  wouldn't  have  him. 
"'And  why  not.?' 


5 

! 


Hi 


has 


"  Twilight  of  the  gods." 


534 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\K     ■ 


I:!' 


tu. 


m 


•m 


"'Well,  this  was  how  it  was:  I  dreamed  that  Dr. 
Nansen  was  going  off  across  the  ice  to  the  Pole  with  four 
men,  and  I  asked  to  be  taken,  but  you  said  that  you 
didn't  need  a  cook  on  this  expedition,  and  I  thought  that 
was  queer  enough,  for  you  would  surely  want  food  on 
this  trip  as  well.  It  seemed  to  me  that  you  had  ordered 
the  ship  to  meet  you  at  some  other  place ;  anyhow,  you 
were  not  coming  back  here,  but  to  some  other  land.  It's 
strange  that  one  can  lie  and  rake  up  such  a  lot  of  non- 
sense in  one's  sleep.' 

'"That  was  perhaps  not  such  very  great  nonsense, 
Pettersen;  it  is  quite  possible  that  we  might  have  to 
make  such  an  expedition;  but  if  we  did,  we  should 
certainly  not  come  back  to  the  Fram: 

'"Well,  if  that  happened,  I  would  ask  to  go,  sure 
enough ;  for  it's  just  what  I  should  like.  I'm  no  ^reat 
snow-shoer,  but  I  would  manage  to  keep  up  somehow.' 

"'That's  all  very  well;  but  there's  a  great  deal  of 
weary  hard  work  on  a  journey  like  that;  you  needn't 
think  it's  all  pleasure.' 

"'No,  no  one  would  expect  that;  but  it  would  be  all 
right  if  I  might  only  go.' 

'"  But  there  might  be  worse  than  hardships,  Pettersen. 
It  would  more  than  likely  mean  risking  your  life.' 

" '  I  don't  care  for  that  either.  A  man  has  got  to  die 
sometime.' 

'"Yes,  but  you  don't  want  to  shorten  your  life.' 

" '  Oh,  I  would  take  my  chance  of  that.     You  can  lose 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE  ICE 


535 


great 


your  life  at  home,  too,  though,  perhaps,  not  quite  so 
easily  as  here.  But  if  a  man  was  always  to  be  thinking 
about  that  he  would  never  do  anythino-.' 

'"That's  true.  Anyhow,  he  would  not  need  to  come 
on  an  expedition  like  this.  But  remember  that  a  journey 
northward  over  the  ice  would  be  no  child's  play.' 

'"No,  I  know  that  well  enough,  but  if  it  was  with  you 
I  shouldn't  be  afraid.  It  would  never  do  if  we  had  to 
manage  alone.  We'd  be  sure  to  go  wrong;  but  it's 
quite  a  different  thing,  you  see,  when  there  is  one  to 
lead  that  you  know  has  been  through  it  all  before.' 

"It  is  extraordinary  the  blind  faith  such  men  have 
in  their  leader!  I  believe  they  would  set  off  without 
a  moment's  reflection  if  they  were  asked  to  join  in  an 
expedition  to  the  Pole  now,  with  black  winter  at  the 
door.  It  is  grand  as  long  as  the  faith  lasts,  but  God  be 
merciful  to  him  on  the  day  that  it  fails ! 

"Saturday,  September  15th.  This  evening  we  have 
seen  the  moon  again  for  the  first  time  — beautiful  full 
moon— and  a  few  stars  were  also  visible  in  the  night 
sky,  which  is  still  quite  light. 

"Notices  were  posted  up  to-day  in  several  places. 
They  ran  as  follows : 


\ 


I 
'i 

:i 


i 


I 


i  : 


'"As  fire  here  on  board  might  be  followed  by  the 
most  terrible  consequences,  too  great  precaution  cannot 
be  taken.  For  this  reason  every  man  is  requested  to 
observe  the  following  rules  most  conscientioush : 


t\ 


1  • 


536  FAR  THE  SI'  NORTH 

1.  No  one  is  to  carry  matches. 

2.  The  only  places  where  matches  may  be  kept  are  — 

(i)  The  galley,  where  the  cook  for  the  time  being 
is  responsible  for  them. 

(2)  The  four  single  cabins,  where  the  inmate  of 

each  is  responsii^lr  f-  his  bux. 

(3)  The  work-cabin,  wh';     /    ^-k  is  croinsr  on 

(4)  On  the  mast  in  the  saloon,  from  which  neither 

box  nor  single  matches  must  be  taken  away 
under  any  circumstances. 

3.  Matches  must  not  be  struck  anywhere  except  in  the 

places  above  named. 

4.  The  one  exception  to  the  above  rules  is  made  when 

the  forge  has  to  be  lighted. 

5.  All  the   ship's    holds   are    to    be    inspected    every 

evening  at  8  o'clock  by  the  fire-inspector,  who  will 
give  in  his  report  to  the  undersigned.  After  that 
time  no  one  may,  without  special  permission,  take 
a  light  into  the  holds  or  into  the  engine-room. 

6.  Smoking  is  only  allowed  in  the  living-rooms  and 

on  deck.     Lighted  pipes  or  cigars  must  on  no 
account  be  seen  elsewhere. 

Fridtjof  Nansen. 
/v'^?w/,  September  15th,  1894.' 

"  Some  of  these  regulations  may  seem  to  infringe  on 
the  principle  of  equality  which  I  have  been  so  anxious  to 


'•3 


=:"%' 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE  ICE  537 

maintain  ;  but  these  seem  to  me  the  best  arrangements  I 
can  make  to  insure  the  good  of  all-and  that  must  come 
before  everything  else. 

"  Friday,  September  2  ist.     We  have  had  tremendously 

strong  wind  from  the  northwest  and  north  for  some  days 

with  a  velocity  at  times  of  39  and  42  feet.      Durin..  this' 

tmie  we  must  have  drifted  a  good  way  south.     '  The  Rid 

ical  R,ght'  had  got  hold  of  the  helm,  said  Amundsen- 

but  their  time  in  power  was  short;  for  it  fell  calm  yester' 

day  and  now  we  are  going  north  again,  and  it  looks  as 

If  the  '  Left '  were  to  have  a  spell  at  the  helm,  to  repair 

the  wrongs  done  by  the  '  Right.' 

"  Kennels  for  the  dogs  have  been  built  this  week-a 
row  of  splendid  ice-houses  along  the  port  side  of  the 
ship;  four  dogs  in  each  house;  good  warm  winter  quar- 
ters.    In  the  meantime  our  eight  little  pups  are  thriving 
on   board ;    they  have  a  grand   world    to  wander  round 
-the  whole  fore- deck,  with   an  awning  over  it       You 
can  hear  their  little  barks  and  yelps  as  they  rush  about 
among  shavings,  hand-sledges,  the  steam-winch,  mill-axle 
and  other  odds  ana  ends.     They  play  a  little  and  they 
fight  a  httle,  and  forward  under  the  forecastle  they  have 
their  bed  among  the  shavings-a  very  cozy  corner,  where 
'  Kvik '  hes  stretched  out  like  a  lioness  in  all  her  majesty 
There  they  tumble  over  each  other  in  a  heap  round  her 
sleep,  yawn,  eat,  and  pull  each  others  tails.     It  is  a  pict- 
ure of  home  and  peace  here   near  the  Pole  which  one 
could  watch  by  the  hour. 


'Ji 


'\m 


538 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


m 


"  Life  goes  its  regular,  even,  uneventful  way,  quiet  as 
the  ice  itself;    and  yet  it  is  wonderful  how  quickly  the 
time  passes.      The  equinox  has  come,  the  nights  are  be- 
ginning  to  turn  dark,  and  at  noon  the  sun  is  only  9  de- 
grees above  the  horizon.     I  pass  the  day  busily  here  in 
the  work  cabin,  and  often  feel  as  if  I  were  sitting  in  my 
study  at  home,  with  all  the  comforts  of  civilization  round 
me.      If  it  were  not  for  the  separation,  one  could  be  as 
well  off  here  as  there.     Sometimes  I  forget  where  I  am. 
Not  infrequently  in  the  evening,  when  I  have  been  sitting 
absorbed  in  work,  I  have  jumped  up  to  listen  when  the 
dogs  barked,  thinking   to  myself,  who   can  be  coming.? 
Then  I  remember  that  I  am  not  at  home,  but  drifting  out 
in  the  middle  of  the  frozen  Polar  Sea,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  second  long  Arctic  niirht. 

"The  temperature  has  been  down  to  1.4°  Fahr.  be- 
low zero  (-17°  C.)  to-day;  winter  is  coming  on  fast. 
There  is  little  drift  just  now,  and  yet  we  are  in  good 
spirits.  It  was  the  same  last  autumn  equinox;  but  how 
many  disappointments  we  have  had  since  then!  How 
terrible  it  was  in  the  later  autumn  when  every  calcu- 
lation seemed  to  fail,  as  we  drifted  farther  and  farther 
south !  Not  one  bright  spot  on  our  horizon !  But  such 
a  time  will  never  come  again.  There  may  still  be  great 
relapses;  there  may  be  slow  progress  for  a  time;  but 
there  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  future;  we  see  it  dawning 
bright  in  the  west,  beyond  the  Arctic  night. 

"  Sunday,  September  23d.     It  was   a  year  yesterday 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE    ICE 


539 


since  we  made  fast  for  tlie  first  time  to  the  great  hum- 
iTiOck  in  the  ice.  Hansen  improved  the  occasion  by 
mr.king  a  chart  of  our  drift  for  the  year.  It  does  not 
look  so  very  bad,  though  the  distance  is  not  great;  the 
direction  is  almost  exactly  what  I  had  expected.  But 
more  of  this  to-morrow;  it  is  so  late  that  I  cannot  write 
about  it  now.  The  nights  are  turning  darker  and  darker; 
winter  is  settling  down  upon  us. 

"Tuesday,  September   25th.      I    have   been    looking 
more  carefully  at  the  calculation  of  our  last  year's  drift 
If  we  reckon  from   the   place  where  we  were  shut  in 
on  the  2 2d  of  September  last  year  to  our  position  on 
the  22d  of  September  this  year,  the  distance  we   have 
drifted  is   189  miles,  equal  to  3°  9'  latitude.     Reckoning 
from   the  same  place,  but  to   the  farthest   north   point 
we    reached    in    summer    (July    i6th),   makes    the   drift 
225   miles,  or  3°  46'.     But  if  we  reckon  from  our  most 
southern  point  in  the  autumn  of  last  year  (November 
7th)  to  our  most  northern  point  this  summer,  then  the 
drift  is  305  miles,  or  5°  5'.     We  got  fully  4°  north,  from 
if  43'  to  81°  53'.     To  give   the  course  of  the  drift  is 
a   difficult   task    in   these   latitudes,  as   there   is   a   per- 
ceptible deviation  of  the  compass  with  every  degree  of 
longitude  as   one  passes   east  or  west;    the   change,  of 
course,  given  in  degrees  will  be  almost  exactly  the  same 
as  the  number  of  degrees  of   longitude  that  have  been 
passed.     Our  average  course  will  be  about  N.  36°  W. 
The  direction  of  our  drift  is  consequently  a  much  more 


m 


ij 


m 


'|i 


540 


J'ARTHEST  NORTH 


Ik  ij 


1 1 


northerly  one  than  the  Jeanneties  was,  and  this  is  just 
what  we  expected;    ours  cuts  hers  at  an   ani^Ie  of  59". 
The  line  of  this  year's  drift  continued  will  cut  the  north- 
east island  of  Spitsbergen,  and  take  us  as  far  north  as 
84°  7',  in  75°  east  longitude,  somewhere  N.N.E.  of  Franz 
Josef  Land.     The  distance  by  this  course  to  the  North- 
east Island   is  827  miles.     Should  we  continue  to  pro- 
gress only  at  the  rate  of  189  miles  a  year  it  would  take 
us  4.4  years    to  do   this   distance.      But   assuming   (nir 
progress  to  be  at  the  rate  of  305  miles  a  year,  we  shall 
do   it   in    2.7  years.     That  we   should  drift  at  least  as 
quickly  as  this  seems  probable,  because  we  can  hardly 
now  be  driven   back  as  we  were   in   October  last  year, 
when  we  had  the  open  water  to  the  south  and  the  great 
mass  of  ice  to  the  north  of  us. 

"  The  past  summer  e.eems  to  me  to  have  proved  that 
while  the  ice  is  very  unwilling  to  go  back  south  it  is 
most  ready  to  go  northwest  as  soon  as  there  is  e  'er  so 
little  easterly,  not  to  mention  southerly,  wind.  I  therefore 
believe,  as  I  always  have  believed,  that  the  drift  will 
become  faster  as  we  get  farther  northwest,  and  the 
probability  is  that  the  Fram  will  reach  Norway  in  two 
years,  the  expedition  having  lasted  its  full  three  years, 
as  I  somehow  had  a  feeling  that  it  would.  As  our 
drift  is  59°  more  northerly  than  the  Jeanncttcs,  and  as 
Franz  Josef  Land  must  force  the  ice  north  (taking  for 
granted  that  all  that  comes  from  this  s:reat  basin  goes 
round  to  the  north  of  Franz  Josef  Land),  it  is  probable 


SECOND  AUTUMN  JN  THE  ICE  541 

that  our  course  will  become  more  northerly  the  farther 
on  we  go,  until  we  are  past  iM-anz  J.sof  Land,  and  that 
we  shall  consequently  reach  a  higher  latitude  than  our 
drift  so  far  would  indicate.     I  hope  85'  at  least.     Every- 
thing  has  come  right  so  far;  the  direction  of  our  drift  is 
exactly  parallel   with  the  course  which  I  conjectured  to 
have  been  taken  by  the  floe  with  x\w.  Jcannette  relics,  and 
wh.ch  I  pricked  out  on  the  chart  prepared  for  my  London 
Address.*     This  course  tou.^hed   about  cSj.r  north  lati- 
tude.    I  have  no  right  to  exj^cct  a  mor.i  northerly  drift 
than  parallel  to  this,  and  have  no  right  to  be  anything 
but  happy  if  I  get  as  far.     Our  aim,  as  I  have  so  often 
tried  to  make  clear,  is  not  so  much  to  reach  the  point  in 
which  the  earth  s  axis  terminates,  as  to  traverse  and  ex- 
plore the  unknown  Polar  Sea;  and  yet  I  should  like  to 
get  to  the  Pole,  too,  and  hope  that  it  will  be  possible  to 
do  so,  if  only  we  can  reach  84°  or  85°  by  March.     And 
why  should  we  not .? 

"  Thursday,  September  27th.  Have  determined  that, 
beginning  from  to-morrow,  every  man  is  to  go  out  snow' 
shoeing  two  hours  daily,  from  11  to  i,  so  long  as  the 
daylight  lasts.  It  is  necessary.  If  anything  happened 
that  obliged  us  to  make  our  way  home  over  the  ice,  I  am 
afraid  some  of  the  company  would  be  a  terrible  hinderance 
to  us,  unpractised  as  they  are  now.     Several  of  them  are 


*  See  Geographical  Journal,  London.   .S93.      See  also   the 
Na^ren,  .890.  and  the  Norwegian  Geographical  Society's  Year  Book,  I.. 


Ci 


lijl 


map   in 


Mi! 


543 


FARTJIEST  NO K Til 


first-rate  snovv-shocrs,  but  five  or  six  of  them  would  soon 
be  feeling  the  pleasures  of  learniniif;  if  they  had  to  go 
out  oil  a  long  course,  and  without  snow-shoes,  it  would 
be  all  over  with  us. 

"  After  this  we  used  to  go  out  regularly  in   a  bod\'. 
Besides  being  good  exercise,  it  was  also  a  great  pleasure; 


SNOW-SHOE    PRACTICE    (SEPTEMHKR    28,    1S94) 

(liy  //.  Jigiiliiis,  from  a  l'/iiitogni/>/i) 

every  one  seemed  to  thrive  on  it,  and  they  all  became 
accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  shoes  on  this  ground,  even 
though  they  often  got  them  broken  in  the  unevennesses 
of  the  pressure-ridges  ;  we  just  patched  and  riveted  them 
together  to  break  them  again. 

"  Monday,  October   ist.     We  tried  a  hand-sledu-e  to- 


body. 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE  543 

day  with  a  load  of  250  pounds.     It  went  along  easily  and 
yet  was  hard  to  draw,  because  the  snow-shoes  were  apt  to 
shp  to  the  side  on  the  sort  of  surface  we  had.     I  ahnost 
beheve  that  Indian  snow-shoes  would   be  better  on  this 
ground,  whore    there   are    so    many   knobs  and  smooth 
hillocks  to  draw  the  sledj^es  over.     When  Amundsen  first 
began  to  pull  the  sled.^^e  he  thought  it  was  nothing  at 
all;  but  when  he  had  gone  on  for  a  time  he  fell  inU.  a 
fit  of  deep  and  evidently  sad   thought,  and  went  silently 
home.     When  he  got  on  board  he  confided  to  the  others 
that  ,f  a  man  had  to  draw  a  load  like  that  he  might  just 
as  well  lie  down   at  once~it  would  come  to  th"^  same 
thing  in  the  end.     That  is  how  practice  is  apt  to  cr„      j,, 
the    afternoon    I    yoked    three    dogs   to  the  samt'  little 
sledge  with  the  250-pound  load,  and  they  drew  it  alona 
as  if  It  were  nothing  at  all.  ** 

"  Tuesday  October  2d.    Beautiful  weather,  but  coldish  • 
49^^  Fahr.  of  frost  (-27°  C.)  during  the  night,  which  is  a 
good  deal  for  October,  surely.     It  will  be  a  cold  winter 
if  It  goes  on  at  the  same  rate.     Hut  what  do   we  care 
whether  there  are  90°  of  frost  or  120".?     A  good  snow- 
shoeing  excursion  to-day.     They  are  all  becoming  most 
expert  now;  but  darkness  will  be  on  us  presently,  and 
then  there  will   be  no  more  of  it.     It  is  a  pity ;  this  exer- 
CISC  is  so  good  for  us-we  must  think  of  something  to 
take  its  place. 

"  I   have  a  feeling  now  as  if  this  were  to  be  my  last 
winter  on  board.     Will  it  really  come  to  my  going  off 


1,  > 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


north  in  spring?  The  experiment  in  drawing  a  loaded 
hand-sledge  over  this  ice  was  certainly  anything  but 
promising ;   and   if   the   dogs    should    not  hold    out,  or 


--*p*^sg=^ 


P|i» 


ji 


RKTL'RN    FROM    A    SXOW-SIIOE    RUN    (SEPTEMHER    28,    1S94) 

{From  ii  rholot;i\i/>li\ 

should  be  of  less  use  than  we  expect ;  and  if  we  should 
come  to  worse  ice  instead  of  better  — well,  we  should 
only  have  ourselves  to  trust  to.  But  if  we  can  lust  o-et 
so  far  on  with  the  Fram  that  the  distance  left  to  be 
covered  is  at  all  a  reasonable  one,  I  believe  that  it  is  my 
duty   to  make   the   venture,  and   I  cannot   imagine  any 


•g 


SI-CO.VD  AUTUMIV  IX  the  jcE  54; 

difficulty  that  will  not  be  overcome  when  our  choice  lies 
between  death-and  onward  and  home  ■ 

"Thursday,  October  4th.    The  ice  is  rather  impassable 

;n  paces  but  there  are  particular  lanes  or  tracts    ^ 

'    altogether,  ,t  is  in  good  condition  for  sledging  and 

now-shoemg,  though  the  surface  is  rather  soft  so  tha 

he  clogs  s.nk  „,  a  little.     T|..:s  is  probably  chiefly  owing 

to  there  hav.ng  been  no  strong  winds  of  late,  so  hat  th! 

snow  has  not  been  well  packed  together 

"Life  goes  on  in  the  regular  routine;  there  is  always 

some  l,t  e  p.ece  of  work  turning  up  to  be  done.    Yeltl 

St::;  "',i"f'''^^™"^''"«^^^«-*  '^^s 

b  and    .such  a  n.serable,  thin  wretch  that  he  is  escap- 

Z  ll  :  ',"""'■  ""'"^  ''"'  >.nn»nageable  at  fir.it, 
and,  shed  about  n,  all  directions;  but  in  a  little  while 
'bey  drew  hke  old  dogs,  and  were  altogether  better  than 
we  e..pected.    ■  Kvik,'  of  course,  set  then,  a  noble  Z 

anrple.     It  fell  to  Mogstads  lot  to  begin  the  t,.aining,  as 
t  was  h,s  week  for  looking  after  the  dogs.     This  duty  is 
aken  ,n  turns  now,  each  ,nan  has  his  week  of  attendL 
to  them  both  morning  and  aftei-noon. 

"  It  seems  to  n,e  that  a  very  satisfacto,-y  state  of  feelino- 
preva,ls  on  bna,-d  at  present,  when  we  are  just  enteri,,: 
on  our  second  A,-ctic  night,  which  we  hope  is  to  be  a 
longe,-,  and  probably  also  a  colder,  one  than  any  people 

35 


!  1. 


'1 


|l:H 


I 
I 


546 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


n 


before  us  have  experienced.  There  is  appreciably  less 
light  every  day ;  soon  there  will  be  none ;  but  the  good 
spirits  do  not  wane  with  the  light.  It  seems  to  me 
that  we  are  more  uniformly  cheerful  than  we  have  ever 


iJl'V  > 


n 


^WfiT^^^fiO^I^- 


BLOCK    OF    ICE    (SEPTEMBER    28,    1 894) 

(From  a  P/iotograp/i) 

been.  What  the  reason  of  this  is  I  cannot  tell ;  perhaps 
just  custom.  But  certainly,  too,  we  are  well  off— in 
clover,  as  the  saying  is.  We  are  drifting  gently,  but  it 
is  to  be  hoped    surely,  on    through    the  dark  unknown 


B 


tAiHamimimi,matmm 


'9! 


S£CO.Vn  AUTC/MJV  IN  THE  ICE  547 

Nivlheim,  where  terrified  fancy  has  pictured  all  possible 
horrors  Yet  we  are  living  a  life  of  luxury  and  plenty, 
surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  civilization.  I  think 
we  shall  be  better  off  this  winter  than  last. 

"  The  firing  apparatus  in  the  galley  is  working  splen- 
didly.  and  the  cook  himself  is  now  of  opinion  that  it  is  an 
invention  which  approaches  perfection.    So  we  shall  burn 
nothmg  but  coal-oil  there  now;  it  warms  the  place  well 
and  a  good  deal  of  the  heat  comes  up  here  into  the  work ' 
roo,.,  where  I  sometimes  sit  and  perspire  until  I  have  to 
take  off  one  garment  after  another,  although  the  window 
IS  open,  and  there  are  30  odd  degrees  of  cold  outside      I 
have  calculated  that  the  petroleum  which  this  enable,  us 
to  keep  for  lighting  purposes  only  will  last  at  least  10 
years,  though  we  burn  it  freely  300  days  in  the  year     At 
present  we  are  not  using  petroleum  lamps  at  the  rate 
assumed  m  my  calculation,  because  we  frequently  have 
electnc  light;  and  then  even  here  summer  comes  once  a 
year,  or,  at  any  rate,  something  which  we  must  call  sum- 
mer.    Even  allowing  for  accidents,  such  as  the  possibility 
of  a  tank  springing  a  leak  and  the  oil  running  out,  there 
IS  still  no  reason  whatever  for  being  sparing  of  light,  and 
every  man  can  have  as  much  as  he  wants.     What  this 
means  can  best  be  appreciated  by  one  who  for  a  whole 
year  has  felt  the  stings  of  conscience  every  time  he  went 
to  work  or  read  alone  in  his  cabin,  and  burned  a  lamp 
that  was  not  absolutely  necessary,  because  he  could  have 
used  the  general  one  in  the  saloon. 


III! 


it 


548 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


.1 


W 
m 


"  As  yet  the  coals  arc  not  being  touched,  except  for 
the  stove  in  the  saloon,  where  they  are  to  be  allowed 
to  burn  as  much  as  they  like  this  winter.  The  quantity 
thus  consumed  will  be  a  trifle  in  comparison  with  our 
store  of  about  loo  tons,  for  which  we  cannot  well  have 


THE    WANING    DAY    (OCTOBER,    1 894) 

(From  a  riiotografli) 

any  other  use  until  the  Frain  once  more  forces  her  way 
out  of  the  ice  on  the  other  side.  Another  thins  that  is 
of  no  little  help  in  keei)int;-  us  warm  and  comfortable  is 


It ; 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE  549 

the  awning  that  is  now  stretched  over  the  ship.*  The 
only  part  I  have  left  open  is  the  stern,  abaft  the  bridge, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  see  round  over  the  ice  from  there. 

"  Personally,  I  must  say  that  things  are  going  well 
with    me;    much    better    than    I   could    have    expected. 
Time  is  a  good   teacher;  that  devouring  longing  does 
not  gnaw  so  hard  as  it  did.     Is  it  apathy  beginning? 
Shall   I  feel  nothing  at  all  by  the  time  ten  years  have 
passed  ?     Oh !  sometimes  it  comes  on  with  all  its  old 
strength,  as  if  it  would  tear  me  in  pieces!     But  this  is 
a  splendid  school  of  patience.     Much  good  it  does  to  sit 
wondering  whether  they  are  alive  or  dead  at  home;  it 
only  almost  drives  one  mad. 

"All  the  same,  I  never  grow  quite  reconciled  to  this 
life.     It  is  really  ne'  •■^-  life  nor  death,  but  a  state  be- 
tw-een  the  tw(x     It  means  never  being  at  rest  about  any- 
thing or  in  any  place  -a  constant  waiting  for  what  is 
coming;  a  waiting  in   which,  perhaps,  the  best  years  of 
one's  manhood  will  pass.     It  is  like  what  a  young  boy 
sometimes  feels  when  he  goes  on  his  first  voyage. "  The 
life  on  board  is  hateful  to  him ;  he  suffers  cruelly  from  all 
the  torments  of  sea  -  sickness ;  and  being  shut  in  within 
the  narrow  walls  of  the  ship  is  worse  than  prison;  but 
it  is  something  that  has  to  be  gone  through.     Beyond  it 

*  We  had  no  covcnns  over  the  ship  the  first  winter,  as  we  thoMght  it 
would  make  it  so  dari<,  and  make  it  dilficult  to  fmd  one's  way  about  on 
deck,  nut  when  we  put  in  on  the  second  winter  we  founc  tha  it  was 
an  improvement. 


W    l 


5  so 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\n 


vl 


I  ^  13' 

Bit 


rJ 

It 


all  lies  the  south,  the  land  of  his  youthful  dreams,  tempt- 
ing with  its  sunny  smile.  In  time  he  arises,  half  dead. 
Does  he  find  his  south  ?  How  often  it  is  but  a  barren 
desert  he  is  cast  ashore  on  ! 

"  Sunday,  October  7th.  It  has  cleared  up  this  even- 
ing, and  there  is  a  starry  sky  and  aurora  borealis.  It  is 
a  little  change  from  the  constant  cloudy  weather,  with 
frequent  snow -showers,  which  we  have  had  these  last 
days. 

"  Thoughts  come  and  thoughts  go.  I  cannot  forget, 
and  I  cannot  sleep.  Everything  is  still ;  all  are  asleep. 
I  only  hear  the  quiet  step  of  the  watch  on  deck ;  the 
wind  rustling  in  the  rigging  and  the  canvas,  and  the 
clock  gently  hackirig  the  time  in  pieces  there  on  the  wall. 
If  I  go  on  deck  there  is  black  night,  stars  sparkling 
high  overhead,  and  faint  aurora  flickering  across  the 
gloomy  vault,  and  out  in  the  darkness  I  can  see  the 
glimmer  of  the  great  monotonous  plain  of  the  ice :  it  is  all 
so  inexpressibly  forlorn,  so  far,  far  removed  from  the 
noise  and  unrest  of  men  and  all  their  striving.  What 
is  life  thus  isolated?  A  strange,  aimless  process;  and 
man  a  machine  which  eats,  sleeps,  awakes;  eats  and 
sleeps  again,  dreams  dreams,  but  never  lives.  Or  is 
life  really  nothing  else?  And  is  it  just  one  more  phase 
of  the  eternal  martyrdom,  a  new  mistake  of  the  errinc^ 
human  soul,  this  banishing  of  one's  self  to  the  hopeless 
wilderness,  only  to  long  there  for  what  one  has  left  be- 
hind ?     Am  I  a  coward  ?     Am  I  afraid  of  death  ?     Oh, 


,?>*--'UM,r;.  ,*  **Kt«iSi^^^^ 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE  551 

no!   but  in  these  nights  such  longing   can    come   over 
one  for  all  beauty,  for  that  which  is  contained  in  a  sin- 
gle word,  and  the  soul  flees  from  this  interminable  and 
rigid   world  of  ice.     When  one   thinks   how  short   life 
IS,  and   that  one  came  away  from   it  all   of  one's  own 
free  will,  and  remembers,  too,  that  another  is  suffering 
the  pain  of  constant  anxiety-'  true,  true  till  death  '     '  O 
mankmd,  thy  ways  are  passing  strange!     We  are  but  as 
flakes  of  foam,  helplessly  driven  over  the  tossing  sea ' 

"Wednesday,  October   loth.     Exactly  ,,  years  old. 
hen.     There  ,s  nothing  to  be  said  to  that,  except  that 
life   IS    movmg  on,   and  will    never  turn    back.      They 
have  all  been  touchingly  nice  to  me  to-day,  and  we  have 
held  fete.     They  surprised  me  in   the  morning  by  hav- 
ing  the  saloon  ornamented  with  flags.     They  had  hung 
the    'Union'    above    Sverdrup's    place.*      We    accused 
Amundsen  of  having  done  this,  but  he  would  not  con- 
fess to  ,t.     Above  my  door  and  on  over  Hansen's  they 
had  the  pennant  with  Fram  in  big  letters.     It  looked  most 
festive  when  I  came  into  the  saloon,  and  they  all  stood 
up  and  wished  me  '  Many  happy  returns.'    When  I  went 
on  deck  the  flag  was  waving  from  the  mizzenmast-head. 
"We  took  a  snow-shoeing   excursion   south   in    the 
morning.     It  was  windy,  bitter  weather;  I  have  not  felt 
so  cold  for  long.     The  thermometer  is  down  to  24°  Fahr 
below    zezo   (-31°  Q    this   evening;    this   is   certainly 


I  I. 


:Ji 


*  An  allusion,  no  doubt,  to  his  political  opinions  {Trans). 


Tvi 


55-^ 


J^'ARTHEST  NORTH 


'^  ii 


the    coldest    birthday    I   have   had   yet.      A    sumptuous- 
dinner:     I.  Fish -pudding.      2.    Sausages    and    tongue, 
with  potatoes,  haricot   beans,  and  pease.     3.    Preserved 
strawberries,   with    rice    and   cream;    Crown    extract    of 
malt.     Then,  to  every  one's  surprise,  our  doctor  began 
to  take    out  of   the  pocket  of  the  overcoat    he    always, 
wears  remarkable-looking  little  glasses— medicine-glass- 
es, measuring -glasses,  test-glasses  — one  for  each  man,, 
and  lastly  a  whole  bottle  of  Lysholmer  liqueur — real  na- 
tive   Lysholmer — which    awakened   general    enthusiasm. 
Two  drams  of  that  per  man  was   not  so   bad,   besides 
a  quarter  of  a  bottle  of  extract  of  malt.     Coffee  after 
dinner,   with    a    surprise    in    the   shape   of   apple  -  cake, 
baked  by  our  excellent  cook,  Pettersen,  formerly  smith 
and    engineer.       Then    I    had    to    produce    my    cigars,, 
which    were    also    much    enjoyed;    and    of    course    we 
kept  holiday  all   the  afternoon.      At   supper  there  was 
another  surprise — a  large  birthday  cake  from  the  same 
baker,  with    the    inscription    '  T.    L.    M.  D.'  (Til    lykke 
med  dagen,  the   Norwegian  equivalent  for  '  Wishing   a 
happy  birthday'),  '  10.10.94.'     I"  the  evening  came  pine- 
apples, figs,  and  sweets.      Many  a  worse  birthday  might 
be  spent   in  lower  latitudes  than  81°.     The  evenin(»-  is. 
passing  with  all   kinds   of  merriment ;    every  one  is  in 
good  spirits;   the  saloon    resounds  with    laughter — how 
many  a  merry  meeting  it  has  been  the  scene  of! 

"  But  when   one  has  said  good  -  night  and  sits   here 
alone,  sadness  comes ;  and  if  one  goes  on  deck  there  are 


fy 


I  t 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE    JCE  553 

the  stars  high  overhead  in  the  clear  sky.  In  the  south 
IS  a  smouldering  aurora  arch,  which  from  time  to  time 
sends  up  streamers;  a  constant,  restless  flickerincr 

"We  have  been  talking  a  little  about  this  expedition, 
Sverdrup  and  I.     When  we  were  out  on  the  ice  in  the 


A    SNOW-SHOE    EXCURSION    (OCTOBER,    1 894) 

afternoon  he  suddenly  said,  '  Yes,  next  October  30U  will 
perhaps,  not  be  on  board  the  Fram:  To  which  I  had  to 
answer  that,  unless  the  winter  turned  out  badly,  I  prob- 
ably should  not.  But  still  I  cannot  believe  in  this  ri^htl v 
myself.  ^     ^ 


!     m\ 


554 


J' A  a  THE  ST  NORTH 


W 


•'  Every  night  I  dm  at  home  in  my  dreams,  but  when 
the  morning  breaks  I  must  again,  h'ke  Helge,  gallop 
back  on  the  pale  horse  by  the  way  of  the  reddening 
dawn,  not  to  the  joys  of  Valhalla,  but  to  the  realm  of 
eternal  ice. 

'"For  thee  alone  Sigrun, 
Of  tlie  S;i;va  Mountain, 
Must  Hclgc  swim 
In  the  dew  of  sonovv." 

"Friday,  October    12th.     A   regular  storm  has  been 
blowing  from  the  E.S.E.  since  yesterday  evening.     Last 
night  the  mill  went  to  bits;  the   teeth   broke  off  one  of 
the  toothed  wheels,  which   has   been   considerably  worn 
by  a  year's  use.     The  velocity  of  the  wind  was  over  40 
feet  this  morning,  and  it    is  long  since  I  have    heard  it 
blow  as  it  is  doing  this  evening.     We  must  be  making 
good  progress  north  just  now.     Perhaps  October  is  not 
to  be  such  a  bad  month  as  I  expected  from  our  experi- 
ences  of  last  year.     Was  out  snow-shoeing  before  din- 
ner.    The  snow  was   whisding  about   my  ears.     I    had 
not  much  trouble  in  getting  back ;  the  wind  saw  to  that. 
A  tremendous  snow  squall  is  blowing  just  now.      The 
moon  stands  low  in   the  southern   sky,  sending  a  dull 
glow  through  the  driving  masses.     One  has  to  hold  on 
to  one's  cap.     This  is  a  real  dismal  polar  night,  such  as 
one  imagines  it  to  one's  self  sitting  at  home  far  away  in 
the  south.     But  it  makes  me  cheerful  to  come  on  deck, 
for  I  feel  that  we  are  moving  onward. 

".Saturday,    October     13th.       Same     wind     to-day; 


w 


.»  *  * 


'^^a^^^mistx 


5« 


2? 


O 


w 


o 

H 

o 

o 

> 
a 


I'll 


m 


M      JfeiriiiVii   i 


Wm 

r^ 

■  f »     1 
lit!''    1 

t 

kII 

i 

S/iCOX/J  AUTUMN  JN  THE   JCE  557 

velocity  up  to  39  feet  and  h.Vh.r.  but  Hansen  has  taken 
an  observation  this  evening  in  spite  of  it.  He  is.  as  al- 
ways,  a  fine,  indefatigable  fellow.  We  are  going  north- 
west  (8r>  3.'  8'  ...th  latitude.  ,  ..r  .8'  east  longitude) 

"  Sunday,  October  ,4th.     Still  the  same  storm  going 
on.     I   am   reading   of   the   continual   sufferings    which 
the  earlier   Arctic  explorers  had    to   contend    with    for 
every  degree,  even  for  every  minute,  of  their  northward 
course.     It  gives  n.e   almost  a  feeling  of  contempt  for 
us,  lymg  here  on  sofas,  warm   and  comfortable,  passing 
the  tmie  reading  and  writing  and  smoking  and  dream- 
ing, wh.le  the  storm  is  tugging  and  tearing  at  the  rigging 
above    us  and   the   whole  sea    is    one    nuass    of  driving 
snow,  through   which  we  are  carried  degree   by  degree 
northward  to  the  goal  our  predecessors  struggled    tow- 
ards, spendmg  their  strength  in  vain.     And  yet  .  .  . 

•"Now  sinks  the  sun.  now  comes  the  night.' 

"Monday.  October  15th.     Went  snow -shoeing  east- 
ward th.s  morning,  still  against  the  same  wind  and  the 
same  snowfall.     You    have   to  pay  careful   attention  to 
your  course   these  days,  as   the  ship  is  not  visible  any 
great  distance,  and   if  you  did  not  find  your  way  back 
well-        But    the     tracks    remain     pretty    distinct,    as 
the    ,now- crust  is   blown    bare  in  most  places,  and  the 
drifting  snow  does  not  fasten  upon  it.     We  are  moving 
northward,  and   meanwhile  the  Arctic   night  is  makin^ 
Its  slow  and  majestic  entrance.     The  sun  was  low  to-day" 


558 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


m 


W^. 


m 


m 

M 


W   1 


i4  i, 


I  did  not  see  it  because  of  banks  of  cloud  in  the  south  ; 
but  it  still  sent  its  light  up  over  the  pale  sky.     There  the 
full  moon  is  now  reigning,  bathing  the  great  ice  plain  and 
the  drifting  snow  in  its  bright  light.      How  a  night  such 
as  this  raises  one's  thoughts!      It  does  not  matter  if  one 
has  seen  the  like  a  thousand  times  before ;  it  makes  the 
same  solemn  impression  when  it  comes  again;  one  can- 
not free  one's  mind  from  its  power.     It  is  like  entering  a 
still,  holy  temple,  where  the  spirit  of  nature  hovers  through 
the  place  on  glittering  silver  beams,  and  the  soul  must 
fall  down  and  adore — adore  the  infinity  of  the  universe. 
"Wednesday,  October   17th.     We   are   employed   in 
taking    deep-water    temperatures.       It    is    a    doubtful 
pleasure   at   this   time  of  year.     Sometimes   the   water- 
lifter  gets   coated    with    ice,  so    that   it    will    not   close 
down  below  in  the  water,  and  has,  therefore,  to  hang  for 
ever  so  long  each  time ;  and  sometimes  it  freezes  tight 
during  the  observation  after  it  is  brought  up,  so  that  the 
water  will  not  run  out  of  it  into  the  sample  bottles,  not 
to  mention  all  the  bother  there  is  getting  the  apparatus 
ready  to  lower.     We  are  lucky  if  we  do  not  require  to 
take  the  whole  thing  into  the  galley  every  time  to  thaw 
it.     It   is  slow  work ;   the  temperatures  have  sometimes 
to  be  read  by  lantern  light.     The  water  samples  are  not 
so   reliable,  because  they  freeze   in  the  lifter.     But  the 
thing  can  be  done,   and   we    must  just  go  on  doing  it. 
The  same  easterly  wind  is  blowing,  and  we  are  drifting 
onward.     Our  latitude  this  evening  is  about  81 "  47'  N. 


? 


0 

4^ 


'1  ', 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


56r 


"  Thursday,  October  i8th.  I  continue  taking  the  tern- 
peratures  of  the  water,  rather  a  cool  amusement  with  the 
thermometer  down  to  -29°  C.  (20.2°  Fahr.  below  zero) 
and  a  wind  blowing.  Your  fingers  are  apt  to  get  a  little 
stiff  and  numb  when  you  have  to  manipulate  the  wet  or 
ice -covered  metal  screws  with  bare  hands  and  have  to 
read  off  the  thermometer  with  a  magnifying  -  glass  in 
order  to  insure  accuracy  to  the  hundredth  part  of  a  de- 
gree, and  then  to  bottle  the  samples  of  water,  which  you 
have  to  keep  close  against  your  breast,  to  prevent  the 
water  from  freezing.     It  is  a  nice  business ! 

"  There  was  a  lovely  aurora  borealis  at  8  o'clock  this 
evening.     Ic  wound  itself  like  a  fiery  serpent  in  a  double 
coil  across  the  sky.     The  tail  was  about   10°  above  the 
horizon  in  the  north.     Thence  it  turned  off  with  many 
windings  in  an  easterly  direction,  then  round  again,  and 
westward  in  the  form  of  an  arch  from  30°  to  40°  above 
the  horizon,  sinking  down  again  to  the  west  and  rolling 
itself  up  into  a  ball,  from  which  several  branches  spread 
out  over  the  sky.      The  arches  were    in  active  motion, 
while  pencils  of  streamers  shot  out  swiftly  from  the  west 
towards  the  east,  and  the  whole  serpent  kept  incessantly 
undulating  into  fresh  curves.     Gradually  it  mounted  up 
over  the  sky  nearly  to  the  zenith,  while  at  the  same  time 
the  uppermost  bend  or  arch  separated  into  several  fainter 
undulations,  the  ball  in  the  northeast  glowed  intensely, 
and  brilliant  streamers  shot  upwards  to  the  zenith  from 
several  places  in  the  arches,  especially  from  the  ball  and 


:i1 


562 


FARTIIESI'  NOA'J'J/ 


I 


from  the  bend  farthest  away  in  the  northeast.     The  illu- 
mination  was  now  at  its  highest,  the  color  being  princi- 
pally  a  strong  yellow,  though  at  some  spots  it  verged  tow- 
ards a  yellowish  red,  while  at  other  places  it  was  a  greenish 
white.      When    the  upper  wave  reached  the  zenith    the 
phenomenon  lost  something  of  its  brilliancy,  dispersing 
little   by  little,  leaving  merely  a  faint  indication   of  an 
aurora  in  the   southern  sky.      On  coming  up  again  on 
deck  later  in  the  evening,  I  found  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  aurora  collected  in  the  southern  half  of  the  sky.     A 
low  arch,  5'    in  height,   could  be  seen  far  down  in  the 
south  over  the  dark  segment  of  the  horizon.     Between 
this  and  the  zenith  were  four  other  vague,  wavy  arches, 
the  topmost  of  which   passed  right  across  it;   here  and 
there    vivid    streamers   shot   flaming   upward,  especially 
from  the  undermost  arch  in  the  south.     No  arch    vas  to 
be  seen  in  the  northern  part  of  the  sky,  only  streamers 
ever)    here   and    there.     To-night,  a.-,    usual,  there   are 
traces  of  aurora  to  be  seen  over  the  whole  sky  ;  light 
mists  or  streamers  are  often  plainly  visible,  and  the  sky 
seems  to  be  constantly  covered  with  a  luminous  veil,*  in 
which  every  here  and  there  are  dark  holes. 


*  This  luminous  veil,  wiiicii  was  always  spread  over  the  sky.  was  less 
distinct  on  the  firmament  immediately  overhead,  but  became  more  and 
more  conspicuo  near  the  horizon,  thouyh  ii  never  actually  reached 
down  to  It ;  ind.  ,  in  the  north  and  south  it  generally  terminated  in  a 
low,  famtly  outlined  arch  over  a  kind  of  dark  segment.  The  luminosity 
of  this  veil  was  so  stron-  that  through  it  I  could  never  witli  any  certainty 
distinguish  the  Milky  VV^ay. 


,1  V 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   JCE 


5^)3 


ON    THE    AFTER-DECK    OF   THE    «  FRAM  "    (OCTOHER,    1^94) 

(From  a  Photogyaph) 

"  There  is  scarcely  any  night,  or  rather  I  may  safely 
say  there  is  no  night,  on  which  no  trace  of  aurora  can  be 
discerned  as  soon  as  the  sky  becomes  clear,  or  even  when 
there  is  simply  a  rift  in  the  clouds  large  enough  for  it 
to  be  seen;  and  as  a  rule  we  have  strong  light  phe- 
nomena dancing  in  ceaseless  unrest  over  the  fimiament. 


5^4 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


[..'  ,  V' 


They  mainly  appear,  however,  in   the  southern  part  of 
the  sky. 

"  Friday,  October  19th.  A  fresh  breeze  from  E.S.E. 
Drifting  northward  at  a  good  pace.  Soon  we  shall  prob- 
ably have  passed  the  long-looked-for  82°,  and  that  will  not 
be  far  from  82"  27',  when  the  Fram  will  be  the  vessel  that 
will  have  penetrated  farthest  to  the  north  on  this  globe. 
But  the  barometer  is  falling;  the  wind  probably  will  not 
remain  in  that  quarter  long,  but  will  shift  round  to  the 
west.  I  only  hope  for  this  once  the  barometer  may  prove 
a  false  prophet.  I  have  become  rather  sancjuine  ;  things 
have  been  going  pretty  well  for  so  long;  and  October,  a 
month  which  hst  year's  experience  had  made  me  dread, 
has  been  a  month  of  marked  advance,  if  only  it  doesn't 
end  badly. 

"  The  wind  to-day,  however,  was  to  cost  a  life.  The 
mill,  which  had  been  repaired  after  the  mishap  to  the 
cog-wheel  the  other  day,  was  set  going  again.  In  the 
afternoon  a  couple  of  the  puppies  began  fighting  over  a 
bone,  when  one  of  them  fell  underneath  one  of  the  coo-- 
wheels  on  the  a.xle  of  the  mill,  and  was  dragged  in  be- 
tween it  and  the  deck.  Its  poor  little  body  nearly  made 
the  whole  thing  come  to  a  standstill ;  and,  unfortunately, 
no  one  was  on  the  spot  to  stop  it  in  time.  I  heard  the 
noise,  and  rushed  on  deck;  the  puppy  had  just  been 
drawn  out  nearly  dead;  the  whole  of  its  stomach  was 
torn  open.  It  gave  a  faint  whine,  and  was  at  once  put 
out  of  its  misery.    Poor  little  frolicsome  creature :    Only  a 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   JCE 


565 


little  while  ago  you  were  gambolling 
innocent  romp  with  your  brothers  and 


around,  enjoying  an 
sisters ;  then  came 


om 


the  thigh-bone  of  a  bear  trundling  along  the  deck  fi 
the  galley;  you  and  the  others  made  a  headlong  rush  for 
it,  and  now  there  you  lie,  cruelly  lacerated  and  dead  as  a 
herring.     Fate  is  inexorable  ! 

"  Sunday,  October  31st.  North  latitude  82'  0.2' ;  east 
longitude  114^  9'.  It  is  late  in  the  evening,  and  my 
head  is  bewildered,  as  if  I  had  been  indulging  in  a  reg- 
ular debauch,  but  it  was  a  debauch  of  a  very  innocent 
nature. 

"A  grand  banquet  to-day  to  celebrate  the  eighty- 
second  degree  of  latitude.  The  observation  gavtT  82'' 
0.2'  last  night,  and  we  have  now  certainly  drifted  a  little 
farther  north.  Honey-cakes  (gingerbread)  were  baked 
for  the  occn.on  f^rst-class  honey-cakes,  too,  you  may 
take  my  word  for  it;  and  then,  after  a  refreshing  snow- 
shoe  run,  came  a  festal  banquet.  Notices  were  stuck  up 
in  the  saloon  requesting  the  guests  to  be  punctual  at 
dinner-time,  for  the  cook  had  exerted  himself  to  the 
utmost  of  his  power.  The  following  deeply  felt  lines  by 
an  anonymous  Moet  also  appeared  on  a  placard  : 

•"When  dinner  is  punctually  served  at  the  time. 
No  fear  that  the  milk  soup  will  surely  be  prime; 
Rut  the  viands  arc  spoiled  if  you  come  to  it  late, 
The  fish-puddins  will  lie  on  your  chest  a  dead  weight; 
What's  preserved  in  tin  cases,  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
If  you  wait  long  enough  will  force  its  way  out, 
Even  meat  of  the  ox.  of  the  sheep,  or  of  swine. 
Very  different  in  this  from       ?  juice  of  the  vine! 


566 


J-UXTHESr  NOJtrjf 


t.  f ' 


IIJ 


Ra„,orn,e.  »,„!  An„„„r,  and  Thornc.  anrt  llorr  TJ.II, 
0<.„d  „,c,u,  have  preserved,  and  they  las.e  n„,  an,i„ 
S"  111  ,ns.  a,ld  aw„r,l,  friends,  of  w„r„i„„^  ,„  ,„„'."" ' 

If  you  want  a  food  dinner,  eon,e  a.  „„e.  no.  at  two.' 

Tl,e  lyric  n,elancholy  which  here  finds  uttcr.-,„ce  must 
have    been    the    outcome    of    many   bitter    disappoint- 
ments,  and    furnishes   a   valuable    internal   evideuc..   as 
to  tne  anonymous  author's  profession.     Meanwhile  the 
guests   asscnbled  with    tolerable   punctuality,    the   ..nly 
exception  being  your  humble  servant,  who  was  obliged 
to  take  son,e  photographs  in   the   rapidly  waning  Tay- 
hght.      The  menu  was  splendid:    ,.  0...tail  soup      . 
F,sh-pudding,  with  melted  butter  and  potatoes.    3    Turtle' 
w,th    marrowfat   pease,  etc.,  etc.     4.   Rice,  with    multer 
(cloudberries)  and   cream;    Crown    malt   e.vtract.     After 
dinner,  coffee   and   honeycakes.     After  supper,   which 
also  was  e.vcellent,  there   was   a  call    for   music,   which 
was  liberally  supplied  throughout  the  whole  evenino  by 
various  accomplished  performers  on  the  organ,  a,™„. 
whom   Bentzen   specially  distinguished  himself,  his  late 
experiences  on  the  ice  with  the  ciank- handle*  havino- 
put  h,m  in  fi,-st-iate  training.     Eveiy  now  and  thci,  the 
music  dr.agged   a  bit,  as  thotigh   it  were   being  hauled 
tip  from    an  abyss  some   iooo  or   ,500  fathoms   deep- 
then  it  would  quicken  and  get  n,„i-e  lively,  as  it  came' 
nearer  to  the  sui-face.     At  last  the  excitement  rose  to 

*  Used  in  hoisting  up  the  lead-line. 


-S' 


i 


»>^MMfe, 


\ 


'<  ll 


I      I 


L  e:f^/M 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


567 


such  a  pitch  that  Pettersen  anrl    I   had   to  get   up  and 
have  a  dance,  a  wait/  and  a  polka  or  two;  and  we  really 
executed  some  very  tasteful  pas  de  deux  on  the  limited 
floor  of  the  saloon.      Then   Amundsen   also  was   swept 
into   the   mazes  of  the  dance,  while   the  others    played 
cards.     Meanwhile  refreshments  were  served  in  the  form 
of  preserved   peaches,  dried  bananas,  figs,  honey -cakes, 
etc.,  etc.     In  short,  we  made  a  jovial  evening  of  it,  and 
why  should  we  not.?     V\^e  are  progressing  merrily  tow. 
ards  our  goal,  we  are  already  half-way  between  the  New 
Siberian  Islands  and  iM-anz  Josef  Land,  and  there  is  not 
a  soul   on  board  who  doubts  that  we  shall  accomplish 
what  we  came  out  to  do;  so  long  live  merriment! 

"  But  the  endless  stillness  of  the  polar  night  holds  its 
•sway  aloft;  the  moon,  half  full,  shines  over^he  ice,  and 
the  stars  sparkle  brilliantly  overhead ;  there  are  no  rest- 
less northern  lights,  and  the  south  uind  sighs  mourn- 
fully through  the  rigging.  A  deep,  jDcaceful  stillness  pre- 
vails everywhere.  It  is  the  infinite  loveliness  of  death- 
Nirvana. 

"Monday,  October  22d.  It  is  beginning  to  be  cold 
now;  the  thermometer  was  -34.6'  C.  (30.2°  Fahr.  below 
zero)  last  night,  and  this  evening  it  is  -36°  C.  (32.8  Fahn 
below  zero). 

"A  lovely  aurora  this  evening  (11.30).  A  "brilliant 
corona  encircled  the  zenith  with  a  wreath  of  streamers 
in  several  layers,  one  outside  the  other ;  then  larger  and 
smaller    sheaves    of    streamers     spread     over    the    sky, 


568 


I'AKTJIEST  NO  NTH 


\ 


u 


'if'  ■ 


.1 


cspt'ciiilly   low  (l(i\vi\  towards  S.W.  and   ICS.!*:.      All  of 
them,    however,    tended     upward    towards    the    corona, 
which  shone  like  a  halo.     I   stood  watching  it  a  long 
while.     Kvery  now  and  then  I  could  discern  a  dark  patch 
in  its  middle,  at  the  point  where  all  the  rays  converged. 
It  lay  a  little  south  of  the   Pole-star,  and  approached 
Cassiopeia   in  the  position  it  then  occupied.      Hut  the 
halo  kept  smouldering  and  shifting  just  as  if  a  gale  in 
the   ujjpcr  strata   of  the    atmosphere   were   playing  the 
bellows  to  it.     Presently  fresh  streamers  shot  out  of  the 
darkness  outside  the  inner  halo,  followed  by  other  bri<«ht 
shafts  of  light  in  a  still  wider  circle,  and  meanwhile  the 
dark  space   in  the   middle  was   clearly  visible ;  at  other 
times  it  was  entirely  covered  with  masses  of  light.    Then 
it  appeared  as  if  the  storm  abated,  and  the  whole  turned 
pale,  and  glowed  with   a  faint  whitish  hue  for  a   little 
vi'hile,  only  to  shoot  wildly  up  once   more   and  to  begin 
the  same  dance  over  again.     Then  the   entire   mass  of 
light  around  the  corona  began  to  rock  to  and  fro  in  large 
waves  over  the  zenith  and  the  dark  central  point,  where- 
upon the  gale  seemed  to  increase  and  whirl  the  stream- 
ers  into  an  inextricable  tangle,  till  they   merged  into  a 
luminous  vapor,  that  enveloped  the  corona  and  drowned 
it  in  a  deluge  of  light,  so  that  neither  it,  nor  the  stream- 
ers, nor  the  dark  centre  could  be  seen— nothing,  in  fact, 
but   a  chaos   of   shining  mist.     Again  it  became  paler, 
and  I  went   below.     At  midnight  there  was  hardly  any- 
thing of  the  aurora  to  be  seen. 


Fri 


SECONJ)  AUTUAfN  /N  HIE   JCE  569 

(lay,  October  26tli.     Ycsterrlay  evening  we  were 


in  82    3'  north  latitude.     To-day  the  / 
old.     The  sky  has   been 


rotn  i.s  two 


years 


days,  and  it  has  been  so  dark  at  niidd 
we  .should  soon  have  to  st 
Hut  this  morn 


overcast    during    the   last  two 


iiy  that  I  thoufrht 


0 


\x\ 


p  our  snow-shoe  expedition.s. 
g   brought  us  clear  still  weather,  aiifl  I 
went  out  on  a   delightful    trip   to   the  westward,  where 
there   had  been  a  good  deal  of  fresh   packing,  but  iH,th- 
ing  of  any  importance.     In  honor  of  the  occasion  we  had 
a  particularly  good  dinner,  with  fried  halibut,  turtle,  pork 
chops,  with  haricot  beans  and  green  pease,  plum-pudding 
(real  burning  plum-pudding   for  the  first  time)  with  cus- 
tard sauce,  and  wound  up  with  strawberries.     As   usual, 
the  beverages  consisted  of  wine  (that  is  to  say,  lime-juice! 
with  water   and  sugar)  and  Crown  malt  extract.     I  fear 
there  was  a  general  overtaxing  of  the  digestive   appara- 
tus.     After  dinner,  coffee   and   ho.ieycakes,  with  which 
Nordahl  stood  cigarettes.     (General  holiday. 

"This  evening  it  has  begun  to  blow  from  the  north, 
but  probably  this  does  not  mean  much  ;  I  must  hope  so! 
a.  all  events,  and  trust  that  we  shall  soon  get  a  south 
wind  again.  But  it  is  not  the  mild  zephyr  we  yearn  for, 
not  the  breath  of  the  blushing  dawn.  No,  a  co'ld,  biting 
south  wind,  roaring  with  all  the  force  of  the  Polar  .Sea, 
so  that  the  Fmm,  the  two-year-old  Fram.  may  be  buried 
in  the  snow-storm,  and  all  around  her  be  but  a  reeking 
frost— it  is  this  we  are  waiting  for,  this  that  will  drift  us 
onward  to  our  goal.     To-day,  then,  Fram.  thou  art  two 


570 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


t 


'■)? 


years  old.     I  said  at  the  dinner-table  that  if  a  year  ago 
we   were  unanimous  in   believing  that  the  Fram  was  a 
good  ship,  we  had  much  better  grounds  for  that  belief 
to-day,  for  safely  and  surely  she   is  carrying  us  onward, 
even  if  the  speed  be  not  excessive,  and  so  we  drank  the 
Frams  good  health  and  good  progress.     I  did  not  say  too 
much.     Had   I  said  all   that  was  in  my  heart,  my  words 
would  not  have  been  so  measured  ;  for,  to  say  the  truth, 
we  all  of  us  dearly  love  the  ship,  as  much  as  it  is  possible 
to  love  any  impersonal  thing.     And  why  should  we  not 
love  her }    No  mother  can  give  her  young  more  warmth 
and  safety  under  her  wings  than  she  affords  to  us.     She 
is  indeed  like  a  home  to  us.     We  all  rejoice  to  return  to 
her  from  out  on  the  icy  plains,  and  when  I  have  been  far 
away  and  have  seen  her  masts  risins:  over  the  everlasting- 
mantle  of   snow,  how  often    has    my  heart  glowed  with 
warmth   towards    her!       To   the    builder  of   this    home 
grateful   thoughts   often  travel    during  the    still    nights. 
He,  I  feel  certain,  sits  yonder  at  home  often  thinking 
■of  us;   but  he  knows   not  where  his  thouijht  can  seek 
the  Fram   in    the   great  white   tract   around    the    Pole. 
But  he  knows  his  child  ;^  and  though  all  else  lose  faith 
in  her,  he  will  believe  that  she  will  hold  out.     Yes,  Colin 
Archer,  could  you  see  us  now,  you  would  know  that  your 
faith  in  her  is  not  misplaced. 

"  I  am  sitting  alone  in  my  berth,  and  my  thoughts 
glide  back  over  the  two  years  that  have  passed.  What 
demon  is  it  that  weaves   the  threads  of  our  lives,  that 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


s;i 


makes  us  deceive  ourselves,  and  ever  sends  us  forth  on 
paths  we  have  not  ourselves  laid  out— paths  on  which  we 
have  no  desire  to  walk  ?     Was  it  a  mere  feeling  of  duty 
that  impelled  me  ?     Oh  no !     I  was  simply  a  child  yearn- 
ing for  a  great  adventure  out  in  the  unknown,  who  had 
dreamed  of  it  so  long  that  at  last  I  believed  it  really 
awaited  me.     And   it  has,  indeed,  fallen  to  my  lot,  the 
great  adventure  of  the  ice,  deep  and  pure  as  infinity;  the 
silent,  starlit  polar  night;  nature  itself  in  its  profundity; 
the  mystery  of  life  ;  the  ceaseless  circling  of  the  universe;' 
the  feast  of  death— without  suffering,  without  regret- 
eternal  in  itself.     Here  in  the  great  night  thou  standest 
in  all  thy  naked  pettiness,  face  to  face  with  nature ;  and 
thou  sittest  devoutl3^  at  the  feet  of  eternity,  intently  lis- 
tening;  and  thou  knowest  God  the  all-ruling,  the  centre 
of  the  universe.     All  the  riddles  of  life  seem  to  grow 
clear  to   thee,  and   thou    laughest   at    thyself   that  "thou 
couldst  be  consumed  by  brooding,  it  is  all  so  little,  so 
unutterably  little.  ...     '  Whoso  sees  Jehovah  dies.' 

"  Sunday,  November  4th.  At  noon  I  had  gone  out 
on  a  snow-shoe  expedition,  and  had  taken  some  of  the 
dogs  with  me.  Presently  I  noticed  that  those  that  had 
been  left  behind  at  the  ship  began  to  bark.  Those  with 
me  pricked  up  their  ears,  and  several  of  them  started  off 
back,  with  '  Ulenka  '  at  their  head.  Most  of  them  soon 
stopped,  listening  and  looking  behind  them  to  see  if  I 
were  following.  I  wondered  for  a  little  while  whether 
it  could  be  a  bear,  and  then  continued  on  my  way  ;  but 


572 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


f 


\m  < 


at  length  I  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  set  off  home- 
ward, with  the  dogs  dashing  wildly  on  in  front.     On  ap- 
proaching the  ship  I  saw  some  of  the  men  setting  off 
with  guns;  they  were  Sverdrup,  Johansen,  Mogstad,  and 
Henriksen.     They  had  got  a  good    start  of  me  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  dogs  were  barking  before  I,  too,, 
got  hold  of  a  gun  and  set  off  after  them.     All  at  once  I 
saw  through  the  darkness  the  flash  of  a  volley  from  those 
in  front,  followed  by  another  shot;    then  several  more,, 
until  at  last  it  sounded  like  regular  platoon  firing.    What 
the  deuce  could  it  be.?     They   were   standing   on    the 
same  spot,  and   kept  firing  incessantly.     Why  on  earth 
did  they  not  advance  nearer.?     I  hurried  on,  thinkino-  it 
was  high  time  I  came  up  with  my  snow-shoes  to  follow 
the  game,  which  must  evidently  be  in  full  flight.     Mean- 
while they  advanced  a  little,  and  then  there  was  another 
flash  to  be  seen  through  the  darkness,  and  so  they  went 
on   two  or  three    times.      One    of  the    number   at   last 
dashed  forward  over  the  ice  and  fired  straight  down  in 
front  of  him,  while  another  knelt  down  and  fired  towards 
the  east.     Were  they  trying  their  guns.?     But  surely  it 
was  a  strange  time  for  doing  so,  and  there  were  so  many 
shots.      Meanwhile   the  dogs   iore  around  over  the  ice, 
and  gathered  in  clumps,  barking  furiously.     At  length  I 
overtook  them,  and  saw   three   bears  scattered  over  the 
ice,  a  she-bear  and  two  cubs,  while   the  dogs  lay  over 
them,  worrying  them  like  mad  and  tearing  away  at  paws» 
throat,  and  tail.     '  Ulenka'  especially  was  beside  herself. 


SECOND  AtTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


573 


She  had  gripped  one  of  the  cubs  by  the  throat,  and  wor- 
ried it  Hke  a  mad  thing,  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  h^r 
away.     The  bears  had  gone  very  leisurely  away  from  the 
dogs,  which  dared  not  come  to  sufficiently  close  quarters 
to  use  their  teeth  till  the  old  she-bear  had  been  wounded 
and  had  fallen  down.     The  bears,  indeed,  had  acted  in  a 
very  suspicious   manner.     It  seemed  just  as  if  the  she- 
bear  had  some  deep  design,  some  evil  intent,  in  her  mind, 
if  she  could  only  have  lured   the  dogs   near  enough  to 
her.     Suddenly  she  halted,  let  the  cubs  go  on  in  front, 
sniffed  a  little,  and   then   came  back   to   meet   the  dogs,' 
who  at  the  same  time,  as  if  at  a  word   of  command,  all 
turned  tail   and  set  off  towards  the  west.     It  was  then 
that  the  first  shot  was  fired,  and  the  old  bear  tottered  and 
fell  headlong,  when  immediately  some  of  the  dogs  set  to 
and  tackled  her.     One  of  the  cubs  then  got  its'^quietus, 
while  the  other  one  was  fired  at  and  made  off  over  the 
ice  with  three  dogs  after  it.     They  soon  overtook  it  and 
pulled  it  down,  so  that  when  Mogstad  came  up  he  was 
obliged  first  of  all   to  get  the  dogs  off  before  he  could 
venture  to  shoot.     It  was  a  glorious  slaughter,  and  by  no 
means  unwelcome,  for  we  had   that  very  day  eaten  the 
last  remains   of   our   last  bear   in    the    shape    of   meat- 
cakes   for   dinner.     The   two    cubs    made  lovely  Christ- 
mas pork. 

"In  all  probability  these  were  the  same  bears  whose 
tracks  we  had  seen  before.  Sverdrup  and  I  had  followed 
on  the  tracks  of  three  such  animals  on  the  last  dav  of 


574 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


October,  and  had  lost  them  to  N.N.W.  of  the  ship.     Ap- 
parently they  had  come  from  that  quarter  now. 

"When  they  wanted  to  shoot,  Peter's  gun,  as  usual, 
would  not  go  off;  it  had  again  been  drenched  with  vas- 
eline, and  he  kept  calling  out:  'Shoot!  shoot!  Mine 
won't  go  off.'  Afterwards,  on  examining  the  gun  I  had 
taken  with  me  to  the  fray,  I  found  there  were  no  car- 
tridges in  it.  A  nice  account  I  should  have  given  of  my- 
self had  I  come  on  the  bears  alone  with  that  weapon  ! 

"  Monday,  November  5th.     As  I  was  sitting  at  work 
last  night  I  heard  a  dog  on  the  deck  howling  fearfully.     I 
sprang  up,  and  found  it  was  one  of  the  puppies  that  had 
touched  an  iron  bolt  with  its  tongue  and  was  frozen  fast 
to  it.     There  the    poor  beast  was,  straining  to  get  free, 
with  its  tongue  stretched  out  so  far  that  it  looked  like  a 
thin  rope  proceeding  out  of  its  throat;  and  it  was  howl- 
ing piteously.     Bentzen,  whose  watch  it  was,  had  c(jme 
up,  but  scarcely   knew  what  to  do.     He   took    hold   of 
it,  however,  by  the  neck,  and  held  it  close  to  the  bolt, 
so  that   its    tongue    was  less    extended.      After    havino; 
warmed  the  bolt  somewhat  with  his  hand,  he  manaired 
to  get  the  tongue  free.     The  poor  little  puppy  seemed 
overjoyed  at  its  release,  and,  to  show  its  gratitude,  licked 
Benzen's  hand  with  its  bloody  tongue,  and  seemed  as  if 
it  could  not  be  grateful  enough  to  its  deliverer.     It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  it  will  be  some  time  before  this  puppy,  at 
any  rate,  gets  fast  again   in  this  way;  but  such  things 
happen  every  now  and  then. 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


575 


Ap- 


"  Sunday,  November  nth.  I  am  pursuing  my  studies 
as  usual  day  after  day;  and  they  lure  m.e,  too,  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  insoluble  mystery  that  lies  behind  all 
these  inquiries.  Nay !  why  keep  revolving  in  this  fruit- 
less circuit  of  thought?  Better  go  out  into  the  winter 
night.  The  moon  is  up,  great  and  yellow  and  placid; 
the  stars  are  twinkling  overhead  through  the  drifting 
snow-dust.  .  .  .  Why  not  rock  yourself  into  a  winter 
night's  dream  filled  with  memories  of  summer.? 

"  Ugh,  no!  The  wind  is  howling  too  shrilly  over  the 
barren  ice-plains;  there  are  33  degrees  of  cold,  and 
summer,  with  its  flowers,  is  far,  far  away.  I  would  give  a 
year  of  my  life  to  hold  them  in  my  embrace;  they  loom 
so  far  off  in  the  distance,  as  if  1  should  never  come  back 
to  them. 

"  But  the  northern  lights,  with  their  eternally  shifting 
loveliness,  flame  over  the  heavens  each  day  and  each 
night.  Look  at  them;  drink  oblivion  and  drink  hope 
from  them :  they  are  even  as  the  aspiring  soul  of  man. 
Restless  as  it,  they  will  wreathe  the  whole  vault  of 
heaven  with  their  glittering,  fleeting  light,  s- rpassing 
all  else  in  their  wild  loveliness,  fairer  than  even  the 
blush  of  dawn ;  but,  wnirling  idly  through  empty  space, 
they  bear  no  message  of  a  coming  day.  The  sailor 
steers  his  course  by  a  star.  Could  you  but  concentrate 
yourselves,  you  too,  O  northern  lights,  might  lend  your 
aid  to  g!"".  '  the  wildered  wanderer!  But  dance  on,  and 
let   me   enj^>y   you;    stretch    a    bridge    across    the    gulf 


576 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


between  the  present  and  the  time  to  come,  and  let  me 
•dream  far,  far  ahead  into  the  future. 

"  O  thou  mysterious  radiance !  what  art  thou,  and 
whence  comest  thou  ?  Yet  why  ask  ?  Is  it  not  enough 
to  admire  thy  beauty  and  pause  there  ?  Can  we  at  best 
get  beyond  the  outward  show  of  things?  What  would 
it  profit  even  if  we  could  say  that  it  is  an  electric  dis- 
charge or  currents  of  electricity  through  the  upper  re- 
gions of  the  air,  and  were  able  to  describe  in  minutest 
detail  how  it  all  came  to  be?  It  would  be  mere  words. 
We  know  no  more  what  an  electric  current  really  is  than 
what  the  aurora  borealis  is.  Happy  is  the  child.  .  .  . 
WY'.  witli  all  our  views  and  theories,  are  not  in  the  last 
analysis  a  hau  s-breadtl-  nearer  the  truth  than  it. 

"Tuesday,  November  13th.  Thermometer — 38"  C. 
(—364^  Fahr.).  The  ice  is  packing  in  several  quarters 
during  the  day,  and  the  roar  is  pretty  loud,  now  that  the 
ice  has  become  colder.  It  can  be  heard  from  afar — a 
strange  roar,  which  would  sound  uncanny  to  any  one 
who  did  not  know  what  it  was. 

"  A  deli"htful  snow-shoe  run  in  the  liq-ht  of  the  full 
moon.  Is  life  a  \'ale  of  tears?  Is  it  such  a  deplorable 
fate  to  dash  off  like  the  wind,  with  all  the  dogs  skipping 
around  one,  over  the  boundless  expanse  of  ice,  through  a 
night  like  this,  in  the  fresh,  crackling  frost,  while  the 
snow-shoes  glide  over  the  smooth  surface,  so  that  you 
scarcely  know  you  are  touching  the  earth,  and  the  stars 
hang   high    in    the    blue  vault  above?       This    is   more. 


•«k: 


i'i'i    iA:'yo;,j   uic  uuivvaru 


ch.iigv  iireiu.-^ 


IS-  ^ 

2.2-  S 
?=   a 

-t    =      H 

!  I  -,o 
=  =  ti 

O 


n.  -3 


"   S:    S" 


t  .,1 


I 


^  I 


r  «:• 

«l 

1'- 

^K 

1 

i 

SECOND   AUTUMN  JN  THE   ICE 


S77 


indeed,  than  one  h.is  any  right  to  expect  of  life;  it  is  a 
fairy  tale  from  another  world,  from  a  life  to  come. 

"  And  then  to  return  home  to  one's  cozy  study-cabin, 
kindle  the  stove,  light  the  lamp,  m  a  pipe,  stretch  one's' 
self  on  the  sofa,  and  send  dreams  out  into  the  world  with 
the  curling  clouds  of  smoke-is  that  a  dire  infliction? 
Thus  I  .    ich  myself  sitting  staring  at  the  fire  for  hours 
together,  dreaming  myself  away -a  useful  way  of  em- 
ploying  the  time.     But  at  least  it  makes  it  slip  unnoticed 
by,  until  the  dreams  are  swept  away  in  an  ice-blast  of 
reality,  and   I  sit  here  in   the  midst  of  desolation,  and 
nervously  set  to  work  again. 

"  Wednesday,  November   14th.     How  marvellous  are 
these  snow-shoe   runs  through  this  silent  nature!     The 
ice-fields  stretch  all  around,  bathed  in  the  silver  moon- 
light; here  and  there  dark  cold  shadows  project  from  the 
hummocks,  whose  sides  faintly  reflect  the  twilight.     Far, 
far  out  a  dark  line   marks  the  horizon,  formed  by  the 
packed-up  ice,  over  it  a  shimmer  of  silvery  vapor,  and 
above  all  the  boundless  deep-blue,  starry  sky,  where  the 
full  moon  sails  through  the  ether.     But  in  the  south  is 
a  faint  glimmer  of  day  low  down  of  a  dark,  glowing  red 
hue,  and   higher  up  a  clear  yellow  and  pale-green  arch, 
that  loses  itself  in  the  blue  above.     The  whole  melts  into 
a  pure   harmony,  one  and  indescribable.     At  times  one 
longs   to  be  able  to  translate  such  scenes  into  nusic. 
What    mighty   chords  one   would    require   to   interpret 
them ! 
37 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

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578 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


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i.  f 


I 


"  Silent,  oh,  so  silent !  You  can  hear  the  vibrations  of 
your  own  nerves.  I  seem  as  if  I  were  gliding  over  and 
over  these  plains  into  infinite  space.  Is  this  not  an  im- 
age of  what  is  to  come.?  Eternity  and  peace  are  here. 
Nirvana  must  be  cold  and  bright  as  such  an  eternal  star- 
night.  What  are  all  our  research  and  understanding  in 
the  midst  of  this  infinity .? 

"  Frida)^,  November  i6th.     In   the  forenoon    I   went 
out  with  Sverdrup  on  snow-shoes  in  the  moonlicrht,  and 
we  talked  seriously  of  the  prospects  of  our  drift  and  of 
the  proposed  expedition  northward  over  the  ice  in  the 
spring.       In    the    evening    we    went    into    the    matter 
more  thoroughly  in  his   cabin.     I  stated  my  views,  in 
which    he    entirely    coincided.       I    have    of    late    been 
meditating  a  great  deal  on  what  is  the  proper  course 
to  pursue,  supposing  the  drift  does  not  take  us  so  far 
north  by  the  month  of  March  as  I  had  anticipated.     But 
the  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  firmly  am  I  persuaded 
that  it  is  the  thing  to  do.    For  if  it  be  right  to  set  out 
at  85°,  it  must  be  no  less  right  to  set  out  at  82°  or  83°. 
In  either  case  we  should  penetrate  into  more  northerly 
regions  than  we   should  otherwise  reach,  and  this  be- 
comes all  the  more  desirable  if  the  Fram  herself  does  not 
get  so  far  north  as  we  had  hoped.     If  we  cannot  actually 
reach  the  Pole,  why,  we  must  turn  back  before  reachino- 
it.     The  main  consideration,  as  I  must  constantly  repeat, 
is  not  to  reach  that  exact  mathematical  point,  but  to  ex- 
plore the  unknown  parts  of  the  Polar  Sea,  whether  these 


SECOND   AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


579 


be  near  to  or  more  remote  from  the  Pole.     I  said  this  be- 
fore setting  out,  and  I  must  keep  it  continually  in  mind. 
Certainly  there  are  many  important  observations  to  be 
made  on  board  during  the  further  drift  of  the  ship,  many 
which  I  would  dearly  like  to  carry  on  myself;  but  all  the 
more  important  of  these  will  be  made  equally  well  here, 
even  though  two  of  our  number  leave  the  ship ;  and  there 
can  scarcely  be  any  doubt  that  the  observations  we  shall 
make  farther  north  will  not  many  times  outweigh  in  value 
those    I  could  have  made  during  the  remainder  of  the 
time  on  board.     So  far,  then,  it  is  absolutely  desirable  that 
we  set  otit. 

"  Then  comes  the  question :  What  is  the  best  time  to 
start  ?     That  the  spring— March,  at  the  latest— is  the  only 
season  for  such  a  venture  there  can  be  no  doubt  at  all. 
But  shall  it  be  next  spring.?     Suppose,  at  the  worst,  we 
have  not  advanced  farther  than  to  83°  north  latitude  and 
110°  east  longitude;   then  something  might  be  said  for 
waiting  till  the  spring  of  1896;  but  I  cannot  but  think 
that  we  should  thus  in  all  probability  let  slip  the  pro- 
pitious moment.     The  drifting  could   not  be  so   wear- 
ingly  slow  but  that  after  another  year  had  elapsed  we 
should  be  far  beyond  the  point  from  which  the  sledge 
expedition  ought  to  set  out.     If  I  measure  the  distance 
we  have  drifted  from   November  of  last  year  with   the 
compasses,  and  mark  off  the  same  distance  ahead,  by 
next  November  we  should  be  north  of  Franz  Josef  Land, 
and  a  litde  beyond  it.     It  is  conceivable,  of  course,  that 


58o 


FARTHES2'  NORTH 


I' 


Hi! 


11 


we  were  no  farther  advanced  in  February,  1896,  either; 
but  it  is  more  likely,  from  all  I  can  make  out,  that  the 
drift  will  increase  rather  than  diminish  as  we  work  west- 
ward,  and,  consequently,  in  February,  1896,  we  should 
have  got  too  far;  while,  even  if  one  could  imagine  a 
better  starting-point  than  that  which  the  Fram  will  pos- 
sibly  offer  us  by  March  i,  1895,  it  will,  at  all  events,  be 
a  possible  one.  It  must,  consequently,  be  the  safest  plan 
no/  to  wait  for  another  spring. 

"  Such,  then,  are  the  prospects  before  us  of  pushing 
through.     The  distance  from  this  proposed  starting-point 
to  Cape  Fligely,  which  is  the  nearest  known  land,  I  set 
down  at  about  370  miles,*  consequently  not  much  more 
than  the  distance  we  covered  in  Greenland;  and  that 
would  be  easy  work  enough  over  this  ice,  even  if  it  did 
become  somewhat  bad  towards  land.     If  once  a  coast  is 
reached,  any  reasonable  being  can  surely  man.ige  to  sub- 
sist  by  hunting,  whether  large   or  small  game,  whether 
bears  or  sandhoppers.      Thus  we  can  always  make  for 
Cape  Fligely  or  Petermann  s  Land,  which  lies  north  of  it, 
if  our  situation  becomes  untenable.     The  distance  will, 
of  course,  be  increased  the  farther  we  advance    north- 
ward, but  at    no  point  whatever  between  here  and  the 
Pole    is    it  greater  than  we  can  and  will  manage,  with 
the  help  of  our  dogs.     'A  line  of   retreat' is  therefore 


t- 


*  There  must  be  an  error  here,  as  the  distance  to  Cape  Fligely  from 
the  point  proposed,  83°  north  latitude  and  110°  east  longitude,  is  quite  460 
miles.    I  had  probably  taken  the  longitude  as  100°  instead  of  110°. 


s 


I 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE  ICE 


58! 


secured,  though  there  are  those  doubtless  who  hold  that 
a  barren  coast,  where  you  must  first  scrape  your  food 
together  before  you  can  eat  it,  is  a  poor  retreat  for  hun- 
gry  men;  but  that  is  really  an  advantage,  for  such  a 
retreat  would  not  be  too  alluring.  A  wretched  inven- 
tion, forsooth,  for  people  who  wish  to  push  on  is  a 
'line  of  retreat'— an  everlasting  inducement  to  look  be- 
hind, when  they  should  have  enough  to  do  in  looking 
ahead. 

"  But  now  for  the  expedition  itself.    It  will  consist  of  28 
dogs,  two  men,  and  2100  pounds  of  provisions  and  equip- 
ments.    The  distance  to  the  Pole  from  ^^^  is  483  miles. 
Is  it  too  much  to  calculate  that  we  may  be  able  to  accom- 
plish that  distance  in  50  days .?     I  do  not  of  course  know 
what  the  staying  powers  of  the  dogs   may  be;  but  that, 
with  two  men  to  help,  they  should  be  able  to  do  qA  miles' 
a  day  with  75  pounds  each  for  the  first  few  days,  sounds 
sufficiently  reasonable,  even    if  they  are    not  very  good 
ones.     This,  then,  can  scarcely  be  called  a  wild  calcula- 
tion, always,  of  course,  supposing  the   ice  to  be   as   it 
is    here,  and  there   is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be. 
Indeed,  it  steadily  improves  the  farther  north   we  get; 
and    it    also    improves    with     the    approach    of   sprtng! 
In  50  days,  then,  we  should  reach  the  Pole  (in  65  davs 
we  went  345  miles  over  the  inland  ice  of  Greenland  at  an 
elevation  of  more  than  8000  feet,  without  dogs  and  with 
defective  provisions,  and  could  certainly  have  gone  con- 
siderably farther).     In  50  days  we  shall  have  consumed  a 


582 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


..■I 

w 


Vh  I 


pound  of  pemmican  a  day  for  each  dog*— that  is,  1400 
pounds  altogether;   and  2  pounds  of  provisions  for  each 
man  daily  is  200  pounds.     As  some  fuel  also  will  have 
been   consumed   during   this   time,  the   freight    on   the 
sledges  will  have  diminished  to  less  than  500  pounds; 
but  a  burden  like  this  is  nothing  for  28  dogs  to  draw,  so 
that  they  ought  to  go  ahead  like  a  gale  of  wind  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  time,  and  thus  do  it  in  less  than  the  50 
days.    However,  let  us  suppose  that  it  takes  this  time.    If 
all  has  gone  well,  we  shall  now  direct  our  course  for  the 
Seven  Islands,  north  of  Spitzbergen.     That  is  9°,  or  620 
miles.     But  if  we  are  not  in  first-rate  condition  it  will  be 
safer  to  make  for  Cape  Fligely  or  the  land  to  the  north 
of  :t.     Let  us  suppose  we  decide  on  this  route.     We  set 
out  from  the  /^ram  on  March   ist  (if  circumstances  are 
favorable,  we  should  start  sooner),  and  therefore  arrive 
at  the   Pole  April  30th.     We  shall  have  500  pounds  of 
our  provisions  left,  enough  for  another  50  days ;  but  we 
can  spare  none  for  the  dogs.     We  must,  therefore,  begin 
killing  some  of  them,  either  for  food  for  the  others  or  for 
ourselves,  giving  our  provisions  to   them.     Even  if  my 
figures  are  somewhat  too  low,  I  may  assume  that  by  the 
time  twenty-three  dogs  have   been  killed  we  shall  have 
travelled  41  days,  and  still  have  five  dogs  left.     How  far 
south  shall  we  have  advanced  in  this  time  ?     The  wei^dit 
of  baggage  was,  to  begin  with,  less  than  500  pounds— 

*  During  the  actual  expedition  the  dogs  had  to  be  content  with  a  .nuch 
smaller  daily  ration,  on  an  average  scarcely  more  than  9  or  10  ounces. 


tJ 


i"  ■^ 


if 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE   ICE 


583 


that  is  to  say,  less  than  18  pounds  foi  each  dog  to  draw. 
After  41  days  this  will  at  least  have  been  reduced  to  280 
pounds  (by  the  consumption  of  provisions  and  fuel  and  by 
dispensin-  with  sundry  articles  of  our  equipment,  such 
as  sleeping-bags,  tent,  etc.,  etc.,  which  will  have  become 
superfluous).     There  remain,  then,  56  pounds  for  each  of 
the  five  dogs,  if  we  draw  nothing  ourselves ;  and  should  it 
be  desirable,  our  equipment  might  be  still  further  dimin- 
ished.   With  a  burden  of  from  18  to  56  pounds  apiece  (the 
latter  would  only  be  towards  the  end),  the  dogs  would  on 
an  average  be  able  to  do  13!  miles  a  day,  even  if  the  snow- 
surface  should  become  somewhat  more  difficult.     That 
is  to  say,  we  shall  have  gone  565  miles  to  the  south,  or 
we  shall  be  i8i  miles  past  Cape  Fligely,  on  June  ist,  with 
five  dogs  and  nine  days'  provisions  left.     But  it  is  prob- 
able, in  the  first  place,  that  we  shall  long  before  this  have 
reached  land ;  and,  secondly,  so  early  as  the  first  half  of 
April  the  Austrians  found  open  water  by  Cape   Fligely 
and  abundance  of  birds.    Consequently,  in  May  and  June 
we  should  have  no  difficulty  as  regards  f6od,  not  to  men- 
tion that  it  would  be  strange  indeed  if  we  had  not  before 
that  time  met  with  a  bear  or  a  seal  or  some  stray  birds. 
"  That  we  should    now  be   pretty  safe  I  consider  as 
certain,  and  we  can  choose  whichever  route  we  please : 
either  along  the  northwest  coast  of   Franz   Josef  Land, 
by   Gillis    Land    towards    Northeast    Island   and    Spitz- 
bergen  (and,  should  circumstances  prove  favorable,  this 
would  decidedly   be    my   choice),    or   we  can  go  south 


i 


584 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


\\ 


I 


'M 


Hi 'I  !' 


through  Austria  Sound  towards  the  south  coast  of  Franz 
Josef  Land,  and  thence  to  Novaya  Zemlya  or  Spitzbergen, 
the  latter  by  preference.    We  may,  of  course,  find  English- 
men on  Franz  Josef  Land,  but  that  we  must  not  reckon  on. 
"Such,    then,    is    my   calculation.     ILive    I    made    it 
recklessly?     No,    I    think  not.     The  only  thing  would 
be  if  during  the  latter  part  of  the  journey,  in  May,  we 
should  find  the  surface  like  what  we  had  here  last  springs 
at  the  end  of  May,  and  should  be  considerably  delayed 
by  it.     But  this  would  only  be  towards  the  very  end  of 
our  time,  and  at  worst  it  could  not  be  entirely  impassable. 
Besides,  it  would  be  strange  if  we  could  not  manage  to 
average  i  U  miles  a  day  during  the  whole  of  the  journey, 
with  an  average  load   for  each  dog  of  from  30  to  40 
pounds  —  it  would   not  be  more.     However,  if  our  cal- 
culations should   prove  faulty,  we  can  always,  as  afore- 
said, turn  back  at  any  moment. 

"  What  unforeseen  obstacles  may  eonfront  us  ? 

"  I.  The    ice   may   be   more  impracticable  than  was 

supposed. 
"  2.  We  may  meet  with  land. 
"3.  The  dogs  may  fail  us,  may  sicken,  or  freeze  to 

death. 
"  4.  We  ourselves  may  suffer  from  scurvy. 

"  I  and  2.  That  the  ice  may  be  more  impracticable 
farther  north  is  certainly  possible,  but  hardly  probable. 
I  can   see  no   reason   why  it  should  be,  unless  we  have 


\  f« 


m 


-5 


SECOND  AUTUMN  IN  THE  ICE  585 

unknown  lands  to  the  north.     But  should   this  be  so- 
very  well,  we  must  take  what  chance  we  find.     The  ice 
can  scarcely  be  altogether  impassable.     Even  Markham 
was  able  to  advance  with  his  scurvy-smitten  people.  And 
the  coasts  of  this  land  may  possibly  be  advantageous  for 
an  advance;  it  simply  depends  on   their  direction  and 
extent.     It  is  difficult  to  say  anything  beforehand,  except 
that  I  think  the  depth  of  water  we  have  here  and  the 
drift  of  the  ice  render  it  improbable  that  we  can   have 
land  of  any  extent  at  all  close  at  hand.     In  any  case, 
there  must,  somewhere  or  other,  be  a  passage  for  the  ice.' 
and  at  the  worst  we  can  follow  that  passage. 

"  3.  There  is  always  a  possibility  that  the  dogs  may 
fail  us,  but,  as  may  be  seen.  I  have  not  laid  out  anv  scheme 
of  excessive  work  for  them.     And  even  if  one  or  two  of 
them  should  prove  failures,  that  could  not  be  the  case 
with  all.     With  the  food  they  have  hitherto   had  they 
have  got  through  the  winter  and  the  cold  without  mis- 
hap, and  the  food  they  will  get  on  the  journey  will  be 
better.     In  my  calculations,  moreover,  I  have  taken  no 
account  of   what  we  shall  draw  ourselves.     And,  even 
supposing  all  the  dogs  to  fail  us,  we  could  manage  to 
get  along  by  ourselves  pretty  well. 

"  4-  The  worst  event  would  undeniably  be  that  we 
ourselves  should  be  attacked  by  scurvy;  and,  notwith- 
standing  our  excellent  health,  such  a  contingency  is  quite 
conceivable  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  how  in  the  English 
North  Pole  Expedition  all  the  men,  with   the  exception 


586 


FARTHEST  NORTH 


of  the  officers,   suffered   from  scurvy  when   the   spring 
and  the  sledge  journeys  began,  although  as  long  as  they 
were  on  board  ship  they  had   not  the  remotest  suspicion 
that  anything  of  the   kind  was  lying  in  wait  for  them. 
As  far,  however,  as  we    are  concerned,   I    consider  this 
contingency  very   remote.     In  the  first  place,  the  Eng- 
lish  expedition  was  remarkably  unfortunate,  and  hardly 
any   others   can    show   a   similar    experience,    although 
they  may  have    undertaken    sledge    journeys    of   equal 
lengths  — for  example,  M'Clintock  s.     During  the  retreat 
of  the  Jea)mctte  party,  so  far  as  is  known,  no  one  was 
attacked  with  scurvy ;  Peary  and  Astrup  did  not  suffer 
from  scurvy  either.     Moreover,  our  supply  of  provisions 
has    been    more    carefully   selected,   and   offers   greater 
variety  than  has  been  the  case  in  former  expeditions,  not 
one  of  which  has  enjoyed  such  perfect  health  as  ours. 
I  scarcely  think,  therefore,  that  we  should  take  with  us 
from  the  Frant  any  germs  of  scurvy;    and  as  regards 
the  provisions  for  the  sledge  journey  itself,  I  have  taken 
care  that  they  shall  consist  of  good  all-round,  nutritious 
articles  of  food,  so  that  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  they 
would  be  the  means  of  developing  an  attack  of  this  dis- 
ease.    Of  course,  one  must  run  some   risk;  but  in  my 
opinion  all  possible  precautions  have   been  taken,  and, 
when  that  is  done,  it  is  one's  duty  to  go  ahead. 

"  There  is  yet  another  question  that  must  be  taken 
into  consideration.  Have  I  the  right  to  deprive  the 
ship  and  those  who  remain  behind  of  the  resources  such 


1    r 


ii    H 


SMCOND  AUTUMN  IM  THE   ICB 


ill'  I' 


(  I 


5«7 


an  expedition  entails?     The  fact  that  there  will  be  two 
men   less  is  of  little  importance,  for  the  Fram  can  be 
handled  quite  as  well  with  eleven  men.     A  more   im- 
portant point  is  that  we  shall  have  to  take  with  us  all 
the  dogs  except  the  seven  puppies ;  but  they  are  amply 
supplied    with    sledge    provisions   and    first-class    sledf^e 
equipments   on   board,  and    it    is   inconceivable  that   in 
case  anything  happened  to  the  Fram  they  should    be 
unable  to  reach   Immuz  Josef  Land  or  Spitzbergen.      It 
is  scarcely  likely  that  in  case  they  had  to  abandon  her 
it  would  be  farther  north  than  85°;    probably  not  even 
so  far  north.     But  suppose  they  were  obliged  to  aban- 
don  her  at   85",  it  would   probably  be  about    north   of 
Franz    Josef    Land,    when    they    would    be    207    miles 
from  Cape  Fligely;  or  if  farther  to  the  east  it  would  be 
some   276  miles  from  the  Seven  Islands,  and  it  is  hard 
to  believe  that  they  could  not  manage  a  distance  like 
that  with  our   equipments.     Now,  as   before,   I    am    of 
opinion  that  the  Fram  will  in  all  probability  drift  right 
across  the  polar  basin  and  out  on  the  other  side  with- 
out being   stopped,  and  without   being  destroyed;   but 
even  if  any  accident  should  occur,  I  do  not  see  why  the 
crew  should  not  be  able  to  make  their  way  home  in  safety, 
provided  due  measures  of  precaution  are  observed.    Con- 
sequently, I  think  there  is  no  reason  why  a  sledge  expedi- 
tion should  not  leave  the  Fram,  and  I  feel  that  as  it  prom- 
ises such  good  results  it  ought  certainly  to  be  attempted." 


\ 


%\ 


END    OF    VOL.    I 


PRELIMINAEY  SKETCH  MAP 

OF  TiiE  GROUP  OF  ISMN08  KNOWN  AS 

f MHZ  MMf  MHl 

Compiled  at  Cape  Flora,  Ufly  1896,  and  based  upon 
Payer'*,  Leigh  Smith's,  and  Jackson'*  Maps,  together 
with  my  own  obitmtiont.—FrldtJof  Hansen. 
SvJtxcal   JliLea 


Explanation. 
Hansen  and  Johansen's  Route  189B  (-2etti  August). 
.  ftansen  and  Johansen's  Route  I898(19th  May-nth  June). 
The  Darker  Blue  w'th  Horizontal  Strokes  shows  Water 
seen  .V;  »fl95. 


The  Darker  Blue  with  Vertioal  Strokes  shows  Water 


|liliil||jlij|l|:ii  seen  in  June  1896. 
The  Pittoei  where  the  underlying  Rock  pi  ejects  through  the  Ice-Sheet  are 
indicated  In  the  Darker  Brown  colour.  This  could  not  be  done  for  the 
south  part  of  Austria  Sound,  explored  ba  Payer,  as  flie  nevessary  infor- 
mation uias  not  supplied. 


The  Zrimhui^b.  Cp.ograjjtiit-al  tiisritule 


Nansen's  "  F.irthest  North."    Harper  &  Brotlie 


3  "  Farthest  North."     Harper  &  Brotliers,  New  York. 


Ji'hn  BartJujlcTOpu'  ^-  Co 


'the  Fdinbnrgh.  Geogiiapliical  lustiuue 


Nansen's  *'  Farthest  North."     Harper  ^S.   Ilroih 


I's  "  Farthest  North."     Harper  ^S.   brothers,  New  York. 


Jo^'BarxJciplomsw  &  Co 


